Illinois Democrats play hardball with one of their own, could benefit GOP

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is calling for a special election for the U.S. Senate seat if its current occupant Roland Burris does not step down within two weeks.

Appearing on WGN radio this morning, Quinn said he believes the state can enact a special election that will force Burris out of office. Under Illinois law, appointments to Senate vacancies last until the next federal election, which is scheduled for next year. Burris was appointed by three weeks after Blagojevich’s Dec. 9 arrest on federal criminal charges of allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat for personal or political gain. But Attorney General Lisa Madigan suggested the appointment to the Senate is temporary until the next election. Lawmakers are proposing to move up the 2010 election for the Senate seat to May. Unlike his Democratic colleagues, Quinn supported holding a special election for the seat given up by President Barack Obama.

Since taking office Burris has been under a cloud of ethical scrutiny concerning his relationship with the disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Practically since Burris went to D.C., and not in the tradition of Jefferson Smith, Illinois leaders have demanded Burris resign his seat.

The special election could cost the state between $20 and $50 million. According to the Chicago Tribune, Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), who is sponsoring special-election legislation, said the balloting could cost half that amount or less and said the state could subsidize the costs to local election authorities by tapping $15 million set aside in the current budget for pork-barrel projects.

If a special election is held, Illinois Republicans will benefit in two ways. First, Quinn will not be able to appoint another Democrat to hold the seat. Secondly, Republicans can win the seat, provided the campaign of likely replacement Rep. Peter Roskam or Rep. Mark Kirk capitalizes on the corruption of the Democratic Party. Republicans need to hammer the Democratic establishment over supporting Blagojevich, failing to hold a special election instead of allowing the disgraced Blagojevich to name Burris to the Senate seat. Republicans could also benefit if a group of black Chiacgo aldermen keep their threat and buck the Democrats for supporting the ouster of Burris - although that threat is unlikely to be held in a general election.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross said a special election will restore trust to the people of Illinois.

“This (will) give the people of Illinois an opportunity to be involved,” Cross said at a news conference. “They don’t trust us, and one of the ways we can restore trust with them is to give them the opportunity to be involved in this process.”

Jindal dropped ball during presidential response

Tuesday night's response to President Barack Obama's Congressional address was not an auspicious introduction to the nation for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

The response to the president is usually given to a rising star in the party. This year was Jindal's turn.

It's clear that Jindal is not ready for prime time national politics. It's not that he's not a capable politician, he's certainly doing a fine job as governor of Louisiana. Navigating that bayou cesspool of corruption is just as difficult as navigating the "stinky onion" cesspool in Illinois. So far Jindal has done a good job at the helm of his state.

He's done such a good job that he's often named as a possible presidential candidate for the Republican Part in 2012. He was on Sen. John McCain's short list for vice president in 2008. But if his response to the president is any indication, Jindal is not ready for the national stage.

His argument was stale. It's the same mantra Republican candidates have been using for years, but it's a mantra that is ringing hollow with the average citizen. Likewise the way he delivered the response was all wrong as well. Jindal spoke at the American people instead of speaking to the American people.

Conservative columnist Amanda Carpenter described Jindal's response:

There was a cheesy, salesman-like quality to the response that I don't think connected with the Rick Santelli-inspired anger so many Republicans are feeling right now. And, I'm pretty sure he's going to be SNL's next target. His speech tempo was just, so weird. Enough complaining from me. He didn't pass the prime time test and it makes me sad. I don't want to dwell.

Also the stagecraft of Jindal's response was poor. He should not have approached the camera from a hidden area like he was hiding, nor should the piece have been shot in front of the grand staircase of the governor's mansion in Baton Rouge. If the GOP wants to appeal to average folks, a mansion isn't the spot to make such an address.

Houston credit plan is nanny state madness

The mayor of Houston proposed a plan of pure insanity that rewards bad financial behavior. This is a microcosm of Porkulus, the $787 billion spending behemoth of President Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

Mayor Bill White proposed the city dole out grants up to $3,000 to individuals who are trying to qualify for mortgages through the city’s home buyers assistance program. According to the Houston Chronicle, the "Credit Score Enhancement Program" was aimed at helping people who fall 10 to 20 points shy on their credit application use the money to pay off debt and raise their scores. The funds would be used from a left over from a city appropriation of funds to repair homes following Hurricane Ike. This money would be used for people to pay off credit card debt and car loans! This plan realizes the idea of wealth redistribution - using taxpayer money to help people pay their debts is nothing short of insanity. It gives even more rise to the idea of allowing the state to take care of people rather than having the people take care of themselves.

Whatever happens, Burris' legacy has been sealed with the stimulus vote

Everyone and their mother is calling for the resignation of Sen. Roland Burris, the latest in a long line of corrupt Illinois public officials.

He arrived in the Senate under a cloud and has remained under that cloud during his short stint. While Burris hasn't been in the U.S. Senate long enough to line his pockets or cement himself in other nefarious traditions, he's been there long enough and the damage has been done. Burris was there to pass Porkulus, the so called $787 billion stimulus plan. According to Sun Times columnist Lynn Sweet, Burris first told Senate leaders Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., that there was more to his appointment than met the eye. According to Sweet:

Burris dropped the news when Reid and Durbin were on the Senate floor whipping the roll call for the stimulus bill, which passed with exactly the number of votes needed.

Passed with exactly the number of votes needed. No wonder President Obama pushed for Burris to be seated after his appointment. Burris. Without Burris in office, Porkulus was in danger. With Burris in office, Porkulus was unleashed on the taxpayers.

While it's imperative that Burris leave the Senate and return that seat to the people, the damage has been done to the nation. If the people are allowed to elect his successor, perhaps that vote will block future irresponsible spending packages.

RNC Chairman Steele offers new hope for GOP

RNC Chairman Michael Steele wowed DuPage Republicans Friday night with his call to return the party to its traditional tenets of fiscal conservatism.
Steele, who was the keynote speaker at the 48th annual Lincoln Day dinner, said the Republican's inability to hold to those tenets were the reasons for losses in 2006 and 2008.
“We learned one important lesson from the 2006 and 2008 elections; you can’t please everyone all the time, but you can anger everyone at the same time,” Steele said.
Steele said the GOP lawmakers who went to Washington forgot the principles of the 1994 Contract with America and “began drinking that Potomac River water” and got drunk off the perks of being in charge of the nation. Steele said the party deserved the setbacks in the previous elections, but now it’s time to rebuild and refocus on core conservative values.
"We got an old-fashioned whooping and we deserved it because we walked away from the good old-fashioned principles that defined us for 150 years," he said. "We're in the 12-step recovery program and we've got a brand new attitude. There’s a lot of fight left in this party.”
, Steele laid out his hopes for a more responsible and effective Republican Party. Steele said Republicans need to expand their base and target voters who may lean more to voting Democrat. He said the party has a duty to package traditional Republican ideals in a way that will appeal to those voters. Steele said the Republican Party can take a lesson from Howard Dean, Steele’s Democrat opposite, by adopting a 50 state strategy and target vulnerable seats in those states. Steele lauded Dean’s plan because it won Democrats seats in traditionally Republican states, like Montana, Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina.
Steele said the first challenge for Illinois Republicans is the seat of embattled Sen. Burris. With the possibility of Burris losing that seat and a special election to replace him, Steele said this is the race Republicans need to win.
Pointing out problems for the party is the first step on a long road to recovery, but the proof will be in implementing plans to restore the viability of the Republican Party.

Obama and the census - this cartoon says it all

Higher taxation coming to Illinois in the name of benevolence

OK, let me get this straight. Tax and spend politicians love to hype the mantra of government aid to those who can't help themselves, or any number of pet projects. That hue and cry is especially loud now with the state of the economy. Most every household is concerned about the economy and the reduction of cash flow. Thousands of people are losing their jobs each day across this nation. People are spending less money and this nation's consumer driven economy is reeling. Everyone can agree that the average citizen is highly concerned with their individual money flow.


And it's rather common knowledge that most states are concerned about the lack of money in their coffers and the prospect of less money in the coming year due to less income and purchases. Look at California with nearly a $40 billion deficit. My beloved North Carolina is facing a nearly $3 billion shortfall and here in Illinois the state is facing a $9 billion deficit.

So, we have to truisms - the people are hurting financially and the state is hurting financially.

But here is where things get so stupid that only tax and spend types seem to understand. The state is hurting financially, so in order to pay for existing programs )and usually new programs) the solution is to tax the people who are hurting financially. So, take money from people who don't have money, only to return a tiny portion of that money in some kind of service.

Sounds crazy, but that's exactly what Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, is proposing. In an interview with the Daily Herald, Cullen said everything from a 16-cent gas tax hike to taxes on Internet purchases and an income tax increase is on the table. Count on that gasoline tax hike being passed. Illinois currently has one of the highest gasoline taxes in the nation, and it's going to get higher - especially since gasoline is down to around $2 a gallon. The Democrat controlled legislature is counting on the people to just accept the tax hike on gasoline since it's more affordable now. He even said so to the Daily Herald:

"After it is imposed, I bet people are not even going to know," Cullerton said of the fluctuation in gas prices.

Sadly, he's probably right. People will roll over and take the tax increase without so much as a whimper. It's up to the people to rise up and prove this arrogant tax and spend politician wrong. Rise up and vote these tax and spend villains out of office.

Government can provide excellent services, but that doesn't mean it should financially rape its ever increasingly poorer citizens to pay for these services. It only increases the numbers of people who will become increasingly dependent on the government.

Burris should resign from U.S. Senate

Illinois Republicans are taking the right stance in calling for Sen. Roland Burris to resign.

Burris perjured himself before an Illinois House committee when he said he had no contact with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich before he was approached by the governor about the appointment to the Senate. On Saturday Burris filed an affidavit stating he was in contact with Blagojevich several times prior to his nomination to fill President Barack Obama's empty Senate seat. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Burris now acknowledges having contact with five representatives of Blagojevich regarding his appointment to the U.S. Senate seat. Burris also confirmed that Robert Blagojevich, the since-ousted governor’s brother who headed his campaign fund, had solicited him for campaign cash. Burris also says he talked to the governor's office about a position in state government for his nephew.

Prominent Republicans are speaking out in calling for the senator to resign for the good of the people of Illinois. Sen. Dan Cronin, R- DuPage, called for Burris to step down, saying:

In light of everything citizens of Illinois been through with the corrupt administration of Blagojevich and with the public demand for honesty and open government, I firmly believe Sen. Burris needs to step down. Roland Burris was not honest and forthcoming in the process and there need to be consequences, which include him stepping down from his position.

Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinois GOP, said Burris is continuing to bring embarrassment to the state of Illinois. McKenna said the continued ethical shenanigans of the Blagojevich administration and obstructionists provided an object lesson in why Democrats should have stripped Blagojevich of his appointment powers and kept their promise to people of Illinois to hold a special election."

House Republicans are calling for Burris to resign and are urging the state's attorney in Springfield to investigate Burris for perjury.

Rep. Jim Durkin, R- Western Springs, told the Sun Times Burris is continuing to bring shame to the state of Illinois.

While the Illinois GOP will push for Burris' ouster, they may have an unlikely ally in Senate leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid did not want to allow Burris to take his seat because of Blagojevich's taint of corruption and this may fuel the powerful senator to urge Burris on his own to step down from that august body.

Blago's corruption keeps on a comin'

Seems like the corruption of the disgraced former Illinois governor is continuing with the Washington Post's revelation that U.S. Sen. Roland Burris lied about prior contact with the ousted Rod Blagojevich prior to his appointment to the senate seat.

According to the Post, Burris filed an affidavit last week that Blagojevich contacted Burris several times last year - starting in October - asking Burris to raise money for the governor. Burris also said he talked with John Harris, Blago's chief of staff, about the Senate seat back in October - prior to President Barack Obama's victory. Burris also said he asked Harris about a state job for his nephew.

Who knows if the affidavit filed by Burris is truthful, after all, he did swear in a previous affidavit he had no contact with the governor prior to his appointment to the seat.

The Illinois House is calling for an independent investigation into Burris' perjury.

Not only is Burris' revelation more mud on the name of clean politics in Illinois, it's also egg on the face of President Obama who, along with others, urged Senate leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to allow Burris to take the seat. With the latest revelations, it's possible Reid will seek retribution and seek to have Burris step down from the Senate - of course that will hurt the Democrat's numbers in the Senate if they were to lose any of their majority.

Illinois Republicans will surely use this to their advantage in the 2010 elections. While the nation called for change from GOP leadership in 2008, the people of Illinois may do the same in the next election by giving Republicans a chance to clean up the state.

New Illinois Senate leader typically seeks to raise taxes rather than cut pork

Illinois residents have been breathing a little easier with gasoline below $2 a gallon. But that is likely to change if Senate President John Cullerton gets his way. In an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, Cullerton said one possible answer to the state's budget woes is to hike the gasoline tax.

The Illinois tax on gasoline is already among the highest in the nation at 57.9 cents per gallon. Purchase gasoline in the city of Chicago and you can add another 12.75 cents per gallon to the gasoline tax. Add to that rate the federal gasoline tax rate of 18.4 cents per gallon and you're talking some real money each time you hit the pump. Cullerton did not offer the Associated Press an idea of how much of an increase on the gasoline tax.

Basically the Senator wants the residents to shoulder the burden of the state's financial crisis rather than lawmakers creating a fiscally sound budget. No mention of examining unnecessary programs or programs with a bloated budget. No, instead Cullerton believes the people must shoulder more of the burden in this tough economy. Of course with so many people out of work, it's a plan that is flawed from the beginning.

Freshman lawmaker asks $64,000 ethics question

Illinois Sen. Dan Duff, R-Lake Barrington, posed a question during the Blagojevich impeachment hearing that has puzzled many people across the nation:

"How is it that the majority in this chamber, the same people who have presented this case reflecting years of corruption, are the same people that have praised the governor by giving him three pay raises over the past two years?"

Duffy posed his question in the waning moments of Blago's trial. Duffy primarily targeted Senate Democrats who supported Blago's election re-bid and his various programs. But some Republicans will also have to take note of Duffy's reminder. The state lawmakers who supported Blagojevich will be marked men in the 2010 campaigns. Election opponents - both primary and general election - will surely bring up any hint of political shenanigans that has the stench of Blagojevich on it.

Duffy had no fear in making his presence known in the Senate in his first speech. He told the Daily Herald:

My speech and my comments were about corruption. I ran on a campaign platform that I feel very passionate about, (which) is ending any type of corruption in Illinois politics, and that's what I talked about. It wasn't a Democratic thing. It wasn't a Republican thing. It was a corruption thing. I think we need more transparency in government. And we need to do everything we can to end any type of corruption that's going on right now in our government.

Illinois needs more lawmakers like Duffy. He plainly addressed a severe problem in Illinois - a problem that's long been given the old "wink and nod" act. But now that Blagojevich has brought shame to the state of Illinois politics, it will take men like Duffy to bring some sunshine to the ship of state in Springfield. Keep telling it like it is Sen. Duffy!

Ethics rule ignored as Panetta cruises to appointment

Looks like it's clear sailing for former Clinton Chief of Staff Leon Panetta.

According to a report in The Hill, Panetta cruised through the second round of questioning before a Senate panel regarding his appointment to head the Central Intelligence Agency. The Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by Sen. Diane Feinstein, is using kid gloves in vetting Panetta, who has, shall we say, limited experience in intelligence work (except in his dealings with them as a member of Congress and as White House chief of staff).

While his lack of intelligence work is a concern, another flag for Panetta is his former lobbying work for companies that deal with national security - a clear violation of the ethics policy implemented by President Barack Obama.

"The executive order on ethics I will sign shortly represents a clean break from business as usual. As of today, lobbyists will be subject to stricter limits than under any other administration in history. If you are a lobbyist entering my administration, you will not be able to work on matters you lobbied on, or in the agencies you lobbied during the previous two years. When you leave government, you will not be able to lobby my administration for as long as I am president."

Seems like this executive order is being ignored left and right by the new administration. So much for change.

No lobbyists in my administration will work on anything they lobbied for - what about Leon Panetta

Another of President Obama's top nominees is running afoul of the president's lobbyist rule.

Let's review Obama's ethics rules he installed his first day in office:

"The executive order on ethics I will sign shortly represents a clean break from business as usual. As of today, lobbyists will be subject to stricter limits than under any other administration in history. If you are a lobbyist entering my administration, you will not be able to work on matters you lobbied on, or in the agencies you lobbied during the previous two years. When you leave government, you will not be able to lobby my administration for as long as I am president."

We've already seen some sliding on this position regarding William Lynn, who Obama wanted as an Undersecretary of Defense.

The latest round of letting a former lobbyist slide is Leon Panetta, the White House's nominee for Director of Central Intelligence. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Panetta earned $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008. Some of the companies that paid Panetta are troubled banks and companies that deal with national security. So, if we're to take President Obama at his word, then Panetta, if hired, will not be able to work on national security issues. So that leaves what kind of role for the DCI?

This either indicates that Obama is ignoring his own rules, which means he is playing the populace for suckers, or he hasn't properly vetted his appointees. This latest black eye on the administration's appointments comes on the tail of two appointees having to bow out of the top level positions because they failed to pay their income taxes - which according to the logic of Vice President Joe Biden, means these folks are not patriotic.

So, is loading the top positions in Washington D.C. with lobbyists and unpatriotic tax cheats the kind of change the Obama administration is going to bring?

How will stimulus package fare in the end?

There has been a lot of talk on both sides of the aisle (and from the periphery too) about the massive stimulus package proposed by President Barack Obama and his legislative cronies (read Pelosi and Reid). As the package undergoes more and more examination, more concern is being voiced about the proposed billions of dollars in expenditures.

Today, The Hill is reporting that a coalition of Blue Dog Democrats (fiscally conservative Democrats) sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi complaining about the size of the bill. The Blue Dogs support an idea in the Senate to toss out much of the spending plan.

All of this occurs on the heels of Obama and Pelosi claiming it's imperative for the nation that the bill is passed as quickly as possible. Pelosi claimed if the package isn't passed, then 500 million Americans will lose their jobs - of course there's only about 304 millions Americans according to the census.

Regardless of Pelosi's gaff, the economy is in shambles. While it's as certain as spring following winter that some kind of package will be passed, how much will be in that final bill remains to be seen. But it's likely that much of the proposed $800 + billion will be removed, especially if fiscally minded lawmakers from both sides of the aisle work to make it so.

Michael Steele has big task ahead of him

It was announced on Monday that newly elected Republican Party chairman Michael Steele will be in Dupage County later this month as the keynote speaker at the GOP Lincoln Day Dinner.

Steele, a former lieutenant governor of Maryland, is the first black leader of the Republican Party. Steele won his post after six rounds of voting last week. Following his election, Steele hit the Sunday talk shows and began to sketch plans of what he hopes to accomplish. Does this mean taking the party in a new direction, or continuing the same message that failed in the last two elections? Steele is a more moderate Republican. He helped found the Republican Leadership Council which favors gay rights and is more pro-choice.

On Fox News Sunday, Steele said he intends to hit the ground running to make up some of the seats the GOP lost in 2008.

We're going to be on the ground and engaged in all of those campaigns that are going to be important opportunities for us to re- establish the brand for the party, number one, but most especially, reacquaint ourselves with the voters and help them appreciate exactly what we stand for and what we believe, putting good candidates in a position to win.
That's my job, is to put good candidates in a position to win. Now, we're not going to win all of them, but we're going to start to win again in important races that matter, and we've got three of them coming up this year.

Steele recognizes that the GOP failed to act like conservatives while the party held power the bulk of this century. He said that's the primary reason the GOP lost their seats.

They moved away from us because we behaved badly. We came to Washington, and we became like the people we were sent here to replace, and they replaced us.

But how will he accomplish this turnaround, that remains to be seen. Hopefully he will share his plans and energize the party when he comes to Illinois.