Progress Illinois

The rhetoric offered up by the Illinois GOP in response to the proposal to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the Thomson Correctional Center in Northwest Illinois has so far been irrational and irresponsible. After all, Illinois already houses 35 inmates arrested on terrorism charges. Since put behind bars here, they have gone "totally unnoticed," writes the Tribune editorial board today. "They have shown there are no special risks from confining suspected terrorists in the Land of Lincoln."

Responding to the rash letter penned by GOP Rep. Mark Kirk and signed by numerous Illinois Republicans, the Sun-Times editorial board adds:

What troubles us is the fear-mongering among those who oppose the plan -- beginning with U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, whom we once viewed (and repeatedly endorsed) as a moderate and thoughtful fellow.

Kirk and other excitable Illinois Republicans are warning that Illinois "will become ground zero for jihadist terrorists plots."  Can we get real here?

But none of the comments were more unreal -- and reprehensible -- than those from U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, whose congressional district includes the Thomson prison. Speaking to WREX about the plan to sell the facility to the federal government, Manzullo said of the detainees, "These are really, really mean people whose job it is to kill people, driven by some savage religion." Watch it:

A "savage religion," Rep. Manzullo? 

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Illinois' prison system is finally making major headlines.  But not for the reasons we had hoped.

Over the weekend, the White House announced that the near-empty Thomson Correctional Center in rural northwest Illinois has emerged as a potential candidate to house terrorism suspects from the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Federal officials, at the behest of the White House, are scheduled to inspect the facility today. Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin will hold a series of press conferences outlining the potential plan, which they argue would spur the local economy. If approved, the federal government would purchase the 1,600-cell, maximum-security prison and fill it with regular inmates. They would then set aside a section for the less than 100 Gitmo detainees as a way to help close the controversial prison in Cuba.

Yesterday, like clockwork, GOP lawmakers pounced on the issue, unleashing a barrage of attacks on Quinn and the White House for even considering such a move.

In a letter signed by the seven-member GOP congressional delegation, Rep. Mark Kirk warned that "our state and the Chicago Metropolitan Area will become ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization."

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It's no secret that Illinois conservatives hate the Democrats' cap-and-trade legislation with a passion. Indeed, their intense opposition is likely what led U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk to backtrack from his earlier support for the House climate bill. So it's not surprising that the Republicans running for governor in Illinois would express reservations about the proposal in front of a packed "tea party forum" in Homer Glen last night.

But the GOP candidates didn't simply criticize cap-and-trade as the wrong way to address climate change -- four of them denied that humans have even contributed to global warming.

When asked whether they believe "climate change is caused by human activities," State Sens. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) and Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), DuPage County Board Chair Bob Schillerstrom, and commentator Dan Proft responded by rejecting that premise. Watch thevideo (pardon the shaky camera work):

Apparently Proft thinks that the 2,500 scientists and other climate experts who make up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) qualify as "enviro-terrorists."

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Some interesting news on the GOP side of the 2010 contest: Capitol Fax and others confirm that former state Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna has announced that he will run for governor with State Sen. Matt Murphy as his running mate. In recent months, Murphy had been ramping up a gubernatorial campaign of his own, but apparently was convinced by McKenna to lower his sights to lieutenant governor.

So what do we know about McKenna? Well, in attempting to trump up allegations of voter fraud in Lake County last October, he shamelessly advanced the false claim that a goldfish had been "registered to vote" there.  He also has a knack, in Aaron Chambers' words, for "taking rhetoric to an extraordinary height."  Case in point: At the state fair last year, he suggested that the Democratic infighting in Springfield is "more outrageous" than the struggle over slavery during Abraham Lincoln's time.  The quote:

“Abraham Lincoln was famous for his House Divided speech. If he were here today, he would have to tell a story of a house divided that’s even more outrageous than the one that lived in his time.”

This may give us some idea of what to expect from his gubernatorial campaign.

Durbin: The Public Option Is Not Dead

Is the public option dead in the U.S. Senate? Not according to Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, who denied moderator David Gregory's assertion on NBC's Meet the Press yesterday that votes in the upper chamber aren't there to pass a bill that includes a government-run health insurance plan. Watch it:

At the beginning of the clip, Durbin also says that he "can't presume any Republican senators at this point" will support the reform bills working through the Senate. Even though Democratic senators went well out of their way to include the GOP in their negotiations, it's become painfully obvious that the minority has no real interest in compromise. Even the two most open-minded Republican lawmakers, Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, are backing away from the table. Over the weekend, both expressed reservations about a public option trigger, which was Snowe's idea in the first place.  "There's nothing wrong with moving toward a compromise," blogs Ezra Klein today. "The problem comes when the compromise starts moving, too."

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Over the weekend, Illinois Review posted a series of short interviews with five prospective GOP gubernatorial candidates asking how each would solve Illinois' budget crisis. As you might expect from Republicans fighting it out in a primary, all five advocated in favor of holding the line or cutting tax rates. They also blasted the Democrats for what they characterized as out-of-control spending. But when it came to specifics, the candidates largely violated what we refer to as the "Civic Fed Rule"; i.e, they failed to sufficiently explain how they would close an estimated $10 billion deficit next year.

You can head over to Illinois Review to watch all of the videos (excluding Sen. Matt Murphy, who didn't participate). In the meantime, we've transcribed excerpts from each segment where the candidates provided the most specificity. Here's what they had to say:

Sen. Kirk Dillard:

We are going to manage this state. We’re going to get a handle on Medicaid, which is now our state’s largest expenditure by cracking down on fraud. I’ve just spend two different sessions with former Speaker Newt Gingrich of the United States House … And Speaker Gingrich believes that 10 percent of all Medicaid is fraud. It’s our state’s largest expenditure and I’m going to work with my colleagues like Sen. Dale Righter of Matton and certain professionals to manage the care we are doing in Medicaid.

Let's just entertain the unsubstantiated claim that 10 percent of Medicaid spending in Illinois constitutes waste. After all, it's not like some abuse doesn't occur. In 2007, the state spent $12.6 billion on the program. Trimming the program by 10 percent would net the state an additional $1.26 billion in revenue -- a substantial number, but not nearly enough to cover the state's bills.

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Here's our latest roundup on 2010 political news ...

Giannoulias Snags More Endorsements

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias racked up a few more endorsements this week, including one from the Illinois Democratic County Chairman’s Association (ILDCCA)  on Wednesday. ILDCCA's President Alan Pirtle explained in a statement why the  local chairs are ready to throw their political organizations behind his Senate primary campaign:

"We feel that Alexi Giannoulias has the vision, work ethic, and skill to lead efforts to invest in American jobs and American workers [and] not give tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas from a seat in the United States Senate. He has shown tremendous commitment to the people of Illinois and their values such that he will serve all of Illinois in an effective and honorable way."

Meanwhile, the executive committee and 48 local affiliates of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) voted unanimously to back Giannoulias as well. In his endorsement, LIUNA Vice President and Midwest Regional Manager John Penn made it clear that labor hasn't forgotten how Giannoulias went toe-to-toe with Wells Fargo when the bank tried to liquidate Hartmarx, Inc. and send its employees packing. From a statement:

"When a bank that does business with our state threatened to pull the plug on 1,000 Illinois jobs, Alexi told them they could forget about managing $8 billion in state money. The bank relented and the jobs were saved because Alexi stood up for Illinois workers. That’s the kind of leader we need in the U.S. Senate."

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The GOP loves to moralize about securing the sanctity of the electoral process. In Illinois, for example, Republicans in Lake County and in Springfield fought last year to protect against the scourge that is (non-existent) voter fraud. But when given the opportunity to extend voting rights, especially to communities largely excluded from the political process, they often stand in the way or simply sit on the sideline. A new bill Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law on Friday provides a great example.

Currently, state law requires that all registration applications be filed 29 days before Election Day. For the last five years, however, Illinois has offered potential voters a two-week grace period, during which someone who wants to participate but missed the original deadline can still sign up in person at the office of an election authority, usually the county clerk. HB 267 (now Public Act 96-0441), sponsored by Rep. Will Davis and Sen. James Meeks, extends that grace period one additional week, leaving only seven days between the final deadline and the opening of the polls.

Dan Johnson-Weinberger, who helped write the bill, originally thought it would have broad support.

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Roll Call has an article [subscription required] up today on the frustration among some Republicans -- both at the national level and here in the Prairie State -- regarding Rep. Mark Kirk's indecisiveness on a potential U.S. Senate bid. A few quotes:

“I know the National Republican Senatorial Committee is very frustrated with Mark Kirk because he was being indecisive,” said a Republican source familiar with the situation. [...]

“The other story coming out of this is the mismanagement of Mark’s rollout,” [a separate Republican operative from Illinois] said. “The NRSC is in a bind because this was a recruitment victory for them. They were saying all along that Mark Kirk was who they wanted.” [...]

One county chairman from a rural part of the state requested a conference call with all of the state’s GOP county chairmen and the Congressman on Thursday. According to sources familiar with the conference call, numerous county chairmen throughout the state said they did not want to see Kirk run because of his vote for cap-and-trade legislation.

“I was not on the call, but my understanding was that it not go well,” an Illinois Republican said.

The article goes on to quote yet another anonymous operative asserting that the party will ultimately coalesce around Kirk.  That should be fun to watch.

The "staring match" between GOP Rep. Mark Kirk and Republican state party chairman Andy McKenna seems to be over.  Capitol Fax just posted this statement from McKenna:

“As Party Chairman my goal has been to build Party unity. Mark Kirk and I met last evening as part of an ongoing discussion about the U. S. Senate race. I reassured Mark that if he chooses to be a candidate, I will not oppose him.”

So what can we take away from this whole episode? Greg Hinz pretty much sums it up:

Mr. Kirk is coming across as one big indecisive baby, who won't run unless Lisa Madigan doesn't, and maybe won't run if Andy McKenna does. It's all pretty inside stuff.  But Mr. Kirk is going to have to show a more solid face — and quickly — if he's to have any chance in what after all is a very blue state.