Month: November 2010

Kirk says his goal in Senate will be to control spending

Posted by dwilson – November 29, 2010

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk was scheduled to be sworn in at 4:30 p.m. Monday. He said his first priority is to be an “anti-tax, fiscally conservative” voice in the lame duck session of the 111th Congress.

Kirk’s office put out this video of the Illinois Republican, In addition, Kirk wrote an op-ed piece for the Chicago Tribune saying, “My top priority is turning the economy around.” He goes on to propose some things that are bipartisan and others that will be popular with Republicans.

“How do we get out of this mess? First, we cast aside the partisan differences and work across the aisle to solve this problem. Second, Congress sets an example by ending earmarks and cutting its budget. Third, we build bipartisan majorities for President Barack Obama’s hoped-for line-item veto and the late Sen. Paul Simon’s Balanced Budget Amendment.”

The part about ending earmarks has been among the top GOP talking points in the Senate of late. The Hill did a story citing retiring U.S. Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri as one of the Republicans who might be opposed to the defeat of an omnibus bill that includes nearly $2 billion in earmarks secured by GOP lawmakers.

Kirk is the first of 95 Republicans who will take office within the next 45 days. He takes office early thanks to the Illinois court decision that led to the early dismissal of appointed U.S. Sen. Roland Burris.

GOP chairman Michael Steele may find re-election difficult

Posted by dwilson – November 26, 2010

Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, may not be the party’s choice when committee members vote in two months.

Steele may bask in the GOP surge that gave Republicans a majority in the U.S. House and more power in state legislatures than at any point since 1928. Yet Steele is getting the blame for poor fund-raising by the RNC and free spending that has depleted the group’s funds.

The Associated Press interviewed 51 RNC members and was told by 39 of them that they would rather Steele not be on the ballot in mid-January. The message from the Republican Governor’s Association in California was even stronger, with governors going back to their home states to pass along their concerns about Steele to RNC members.

Steele has not been commenting on the upcoming vote.

Within Republican circles, the resignation letter of Gentry Collins from the RNC, is a clear indication that change is necessary. Collins has been a Republican strategist for years. His resignation letter mentioned that Steele has drained the $15 million RNC credit line after spending down a $23 million surplus at the beginning of his term. The RNC also collected $79 million in donations this year — far below expectations.

Collins is considering a run for chairman. So is Ann Wagner, former chairman of the Missouri Republican Party and Maria Cino of New York state.

Survey shows four likely GOP contenders nearly equal

Posted by dwilson – November 22, 2010

A poll looking at possible Republican contenders in the 2012 presidential campaign shows four well-known names in a dead heat.

The Quinnipiac University survey today showed former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin with support from 19 percent of respondents. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 18 percent supporting him, 17 percent for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and 15 percent for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty ranked fifth with 6 percent support.

Those results were announced as Huckabee was wrapping up a visit to Iowa where he said he has not yet decided whether to run in 2012. Huckabee was in Des Moines for a fund-raising event to benefit the Iowa Family Policy Center. Palin will be in Iowa this week to promote her new book and Gingrich is ready to promote his newest book in the early caucus state as well.

Not surprisingly, Democrats sampled in the Quinnipiac University poll overwhelmingly preferred that President Barack Obama not be challenged in the party’s primary race in 2012.

Dick Durbin going Hollywood with role in ‘Contagion’

Posted by dwilson – November 9, 2010

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is filming today with the cast and crew of “Contagion.”

Durbin will have a cameo role in a scene with Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne. Durbin will deliver a single line in what is supposed to be a Senate hearing with Fishburne’s character. The shoot is occurring in Chicago.

“All those hours on C-SPAN have prepared me for this historic moment in my life, but I’m still a little nervous,” Durbin said in a release. “All I can think of is going on too long with the thank you list in my Oscar acceptance speech.”

“Contagion” is a movie about a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. The plot involves characters who race to find a cure while seeking to control the panic that spreads faster than the virus.

In addition to Fishburne, the movie will feature Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard. The film is directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh, who also directed “Oceans 11, 12 and 13,” “The Informant, Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich.”

Legislative shifts in states may be felt more than in U.S. House

Posted by dwilson – November 4, 2010

With everybody focused on the huge Republican gains in the U.S. House, there hasn’t been enough recognition of how important the GOP tidal wave was in reshaping state legislatures and the long-term significance of that change.

Final outcomes are delayed in a few states, but at least 14 legislatures shifted to Republican hands due to Tuesday’s vote. That will make a big difference when redistricting work starts next fall and takes effect in 2012. Not all states put their redistricting under lawmakers, but enough do that there could be a decade of greater Republican influence.

If lawmakers craft legislative districts that benefit their party, they have a chance to rewrite their state’s political  future.

Illinois and Missouri were at opposite ends of this shift. Illinois will have a Democrat-led Legislature, but with a little more Republican influence. Missouri’s General Assembly already was under GOP control and will be more so in 2011.

In Illinois, the House Democrats will have a 64-54 majority. That’s less than the 70-48 advantage they now have, but still enough to give the Democrats the ability to set the agenda. In the Illinois Senate, the Democrats will have a 35-24 advantage, just a bit short of the 37-22 edge they now enjoy. If Gov. Pat Quinn holds onto his lead in the race against Sen. Bill Brady, the Democrats will have total control … which could lead to more voter rebellion in 2012.

In Missouri, the Republicans expect to have a 106-57 edge in the House — a gain of 17 seats. The Senate Republicans will have a 26-8 advantage, up from their current 23-11 edge. Of course Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, will have veto power, so there will be some sense of shared power in the Show-Me State.

Obama’s influence in Chicago was deciding factor

Posted by dwilson – November 3, 2010

Gov. Pat Quinn probably owes his political life to President Barack Obama.

Quinn’s edge in the governor’s race over Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, is less than 9,000 votes. Yet Brady consistently came out ahead in voter polls. The difference seems to come down to the city of Chicago. The number of Windy City voters far outnumbered the percentage who told survey takers they would “definitely” vote on Nov. 2.

Obama made three trips to Chicago to rally Democrats during the last few weeks, including a visit last weekend. On Tuesday, he phoned in to a Chicago radio station to urge people to get out and vote. The resulting vote from Chicago put Quinn 400,000 votes ahead. Even though Brady solidly won in the collar counties and downstate, he has apparently ended up a bit short.

Ironically, Obama could not save his friend, basketball companion and political apprentice Alexi Giannoulias, who lost Obama’s old Senate seat to U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk. That election also was closer than voter surveys would have suggested.

Quinn had told people his strategy was to advertise almost exclusively in Chicago, whipping up his base of support. Not many thought that would be a winning formula. Quinn gets the last laugh … except that he’ll also take some blame from fellow Democrats in the Illinois House and Senate who lost close races. Some of those candidates might have liked to see a little more competition at the top of the ticket in the areas where Brady won by a wide margin.

Sen. Deanna Demuzio, D-Carlinville, lost her 49th District seat by about 2,500 votes to construction company owner Sam McCann of Carlinville. She might not have wanted to hug Quinn in public if he had come into the area to rally Democratic voters, but she might have appreciated not being the only “target” seen by voters.

Who knows whether stronger, and more statewide, campaigning by Quinn might have energized Democrats who stayed home on election day, or have swayed a few voters in ways that would have been doubly felt as his party gained as the opposition lost ground.

Maybe 2,500 votes would have been a stretch for Quinn to move. On the other hand, does anyone believe that Obama was not responsible for at least the 9,000 vote edge that Quinn enjoys?