Public Affairs

Better than Craig Dellimore w/ Mayor Daley: Berkowitz w/ Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Ed Scanlan; Cable and Streaming

2009-11-03T20:49:00.007-06:00

This week's Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features 2010 Democratic Primary gubernatorial candidate Ed Scanlan, who lives in Oak Park with his wife. His kids are now grown up. Ed is an accomplished lawyer in private practice who has tried more than one hundred jury trials to verdict. The Chicago Metro Suburban airing schedule for Public Affairs is included, below. The show was recorded on Sunday, November 1, 2009.
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You can also now watch the show with Ed Scanlan on your computer.
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The show with Ed Scanlan, a candidate for Governor in the Democratic Primary, includes a far ranging discussion with show host and Executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz of the State Budget deficit, taxes, spending, improving the quality of education, how to deal with the pension issue, how to work with unions, same sex marriage and/or civil unions, abortion, parental notice, partial birth abortion, gun control, concealed carry and much, much more.
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The Chicago Metro suburban episode of "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," featuring this week's guest Ed Scanlan, a candidate for Governor in the Democratic Primary, airs on:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka. This week's airing schedule in these ten suburbs includes a special airing on Thursday at 5:30 pm on Cable Ch. 19.

and tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
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The Public Affairs show featuring Ed Scanlan, a candidate for Governor in the Democratic Primary, also airs on Monday night (Nov. 16) throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 114 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .
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Cong. Kirk and Cong. Roskam on Feds divesting their private sector interests; healthcare; Giannoulias v. Hoffman; Gitmo; Palin

2009-11-03T04:27:00.003-06:00

Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park, 10th CD) and Congressman Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton, 6th CD) held a joint press conference yesterday afternoon in Chicago in which Kirk and Roskam discussed, along with a number of other topics, their proposed legislation to require the federal government to divest itself, over the course of 2010 of its common stock and preferred stock interests that the Feds “bought,” last year from GM, Chrysler, AIG, Citigroup, Bank of America, GMAC and the Hartford.

U. S. Government losses on its private sector investments

The stock purchases [or more accurately, bailouts for which the government received an equity interest] cost at least 217 billion dollars when they occurred last fall and the government has, so far, lost more than “70 billion dollars on their investments.

Questioned by this reporter as to whether their proposed legislation was motivated by their view of the proper role of government in the private sector or by their desire to limit or cut the losses of taxpayers, Roskam said “it is both and.”

Healthcare reform legislation

Cong. Kirk explained his opposition to the current Democratic healthcare reform bill by noting that the current bill has ten major tax increases in it, pushes the top marginal rate of taxation in Illinois to 49.9%, makes a tremendous number of cuts to Medicare, cuts skilled nursing and makes a series of 100 billion dollar cuts for health care for seniors and “I am just getting going.”

Cong. Roskam said, “The unfortunate part is that there is quite a bit of common ground…” Roskam said his “hope is that the new Speaker Pelosi bill doesn’t become the law and what ultimately moves forward is …”things like purchasing insurance across state lines, really tackling the idea of pre-existing conditions and rescission…” Roskam said, “the notion that somehow raising taxes on small business, which happens in Speaker Pelosi’s bill…arguing that is a good thing is counter-intuitive.”

Cong. Kirk’s proposed healthcare reform

Cong. Kirk’s idea of a healthcare reform bill “in 60 seconds,” would be “Cong. shall make no law interfering with decisions that you made with your doctor; secondly…lawsuit reform which is reported to cost 300 billion dollars in extra benefit costs; … you should be given the right… to buy from any state in the union if you find a plan that is less expensive or more flexible…”

Medicare reform?

Cong. Kirk asserted that the Democratic Leadership in Congress is hoping to get a set of Medicare cuts adopted and that they will immediately reverse themselves on the cuts-- and that rapidly rising Medicare costs will ultimately be financed by additional borrowing from abroad which will weaken the value of the U. S. Dollar.

Kirk’s Medicare Reform

In response to this reporter’s question as to what alternative would Cong. Kirk propose to deal with the rapidly rising Medicare and other healthcare costs, the 9th year Congressman from the North Shore and likely Republican nominee for the U. S. Senate listed a set of reforms:

1. Lawsuit [Medical Malpractice] reform
2. Fully electronic medical records owned by the patient
3. Utterly accountable, publicly revealed outcome data
4. Instead of paying for inputs, move to an outcome based reimbursement system
5. Interstate [insurance] competition which is currently not allowed.
6. Remove the McCarran [-Ferguson Act] antitrust exemption

Cong. Roskam added “point of purchase verification,” for Medicare, which he said would save 50 billion dollars in Medicare fraud.
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Giannoulias or Hoffman

Cong. Kirk was asked by this reporter if Democrat David Hoffman would be a tougher U. S. Senate general election opponent for him because of his reform credentials of being a former Ass’t U. S. Attorney and Chicago Inspector General-- and without any apparent connection to Blagojevich.

Mark Steven Kirk responded “We need reform in this state, but I am going to confine my campaign to earning the Republican nomination on February 2nd and then there is plenty of time for a general election.” But then the moderate Republican added: “I expect it will be Giannoulias but …my job is to win the support of my fellow Republicans [and I am] very happy that Cong. Roskam has endorsed me…”
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Votes in the Senate for a Public Option?

This reporter indicated that some say Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid simply wanted to give those who favor a Public Option “a day in Court,” and he wanted to give it a decent burial and then I asked Cong. Kirk if he agreed that Senator Reid doesn’t have the votes in the Senate for a Public Option.

Cong. Kirk said, “It does appear that the Public Option is Dead on Arrival in the Senate.”

Votes in the House for a Public Option?

Cong. Kirk noted that he believes Speaker Pelosi needs about a half dozen additional votes to pass her healthcare bill and that she would work with Rep. Charlie Rangel, Chairman of House Ways and Means, to use earmarks and other inducements in the form of a “Manager’s Bill,” to try to attract the additional votes needed to pass the healthcare bill later this week.
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Gitmo and Swine Flu vaccinations

Cong. Kirk indicated it is wrong to let U. S. Veterans who are in the vulnerable community go unvaccinated for Swine Flu and instead make sure that “Al Qaeda terrorists at Gitmo get vaccinated first.”
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Sarah Palin and Cong. Kirk?

When questioned by Rick Pearson of the Tribune several times as to whether “he wants Sarah Palin to do a fundraiser for him,” Cong. Kirk would only say he has a lot of folks coming in and “We’ll see.”
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General David Petraeus

When asked by this reporter if there were any 2012 possible Republican Presidential candidates that they would most identify with at this time, Cong. Roskam declined to name anyone but Cong. Kirk noted: “I would just say that I am still watching the career of David Petraeus. Those of us on the Joint Staff are watching, so we’ll see.”
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 114 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Better than Stephanopoulous w/Valerie Jarrett: Berkowitz w/ Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski-Cable and Streaming

2009-11-02T19:48:00.007-06:00

The "Public Affairs," show featuring Adam Andrzejewski, Candidate in the 2010 Republican Primary for Governor, is airing tonight, Nov.2 on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The program also airs at 3:30 pm tomorrow and Wednesday in Aurora and surrounding areas (New regular slots for "Public Affairs"). The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.

The "Public Affairs," show featuring Adam Andrzejewski, Candidate in the 2010 Gubernatorial Republican Primary, will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) this Thursday night, November 5 at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.

All of the above are regular airing slots for "Public Affairs."
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You can also watch the show with Adam Andrzejewski on your computer.
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For a partial transcript of the show with Adam Andrzejewski please go here.
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For additional Q/A with some of the Republican Gubernatorial Primary candidates, please go here.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 114 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Better than David Gregory with Tim Geithner: Berkowitz w/former Reagan adviser Art Laffer and FNC's Steve Moore; Cable and Streaming

2009-11-02T03:24:00.005-06:00

Art Laffer [former Reagan economics adviser]: We all want to see the poor do well. But, you don’t make the poor rich by making the rich poor. The dream in America has never been to make Beverly Hills look like Watts. The dream is...[Watch the show w/ Laffer and Moore here]
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Jeff Berkowitz: Art, is it just an empirical difference [of opinion in terms of reading the data] between you and say, Austan Goolsbee, one of the [economic advisers] to Barack Obama from the University of Chicago. They would say that you over-estimate these empirical effects: yes, as you tax...
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Jeff Berkowitz: If you had to assign blame, to be fair, would you put a lot of the blame on George Bush, Bernanke at the Fed, Paulson at the Treasury because those were the three who came up with the $700 billion bailout before Barack Obama was President.

Steve Moore [Fox News Channel and Wall St. Journal editorial page writer]: This was a crisis that started under George Bush. There is no question that Barack Obama inherited this crisis. The problem is that he’s, in my opinion, just doubled down on the Bush policies. …
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Art Laffer [Watch Laffer and Moore discuss President Obama's economic policies]: When I look at this world… and you see a little five year old girl in Appalachia or in inner city south side of Chicago who lives with drug addicted parents who are separated and are always on something, whatever it is, and she has no clothes, no money and her living conditions are awful… and then you look at someone else in Lake Forest, IL who has the same age little girl and it’s just a wonderful life and you ask yourself, “how is that fair, I mean what makes any sense about this? It doesn’t. It is totally unjust. It is totally unfair”… and if I were father of the world and in complete control...
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Jeff Berkowitz: If you could sit down with Barack Obama…you know…what he ran on, you understand the politics of the nation and of the Democratic and Republican parties, realistically, what would you say to him in two or three minutes to try to change his mind and change the course [of economic policy]?

Steve Moore [WSJ Editorial board writer and Fox News Channel contributing correspondent]: I think that Barack Obama should...
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The "Public Affairs," show featuring economist Art Laffer and Steve Moore, FNC contributiong correspondent and WSJ editorial board member, airs throughout the City of Chicago tonight i.e., November 2 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV). Laffer and Moore debate and discuss their book, "The End of Prosperity, how higher taxes will doom the economy, if we let it happen," with interested readers of their book and with Jeff Berkowitz, show host and Executive Legal Recruiter, at Steve Moore's sister's home in Wilmette, IL. For more about tonight's show, including partial transcripts and a list of topics, please go here and here.
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You can also watch the show with economist Art Laffer and Steve Moore, FNC contributiong correspondent and WSJ editorial board member, on your computer.
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The show w/Art Laffer and Steve Moore was taped on June 15, 2009.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
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More than one hundred of our shows from the last two years of "Public Affairs," are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .
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Sen. Meeks, Columnist Eric Zorn and TV show host Berkowitz discuss education, parental responsibility and school vouchers, charters and school choice

2009-10-30T00:43:00.011-05:00

State Sen. James Meeks, a popular South Side minister, writes an op-ed today -- Their blood is on our hands -- about the ongoing, chronic problem of youths being murdered in Chicago. [Read here]. Berkowitz's journalism mentor and good friend, Chicago Tribune columnist and father of Chicago blogging, Eric Zorn, sought to respond to Meeks, paragraph by paragraph. Berkowitz conversed a bit with Zorn by email, as they do from time to time, and Zorn suggested Berkowitz formalize the dialogue, which he has endeavored to do, below. You may want to visit Zorn’s blog, so that you can read the comments on this matter, which are interesting in and of themselves, as well as his other posts.
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Meeks: We like to point to irresponsible kids and uncaring parents. But what about a society that won't lift a finger to do anything about the crumbling, disastrous school system that all of these kids, victims and violators, come from?

Zorn: Chicagoans who examine their property tax bills in the mail this week will choke on this idea that they're not "lifting a finger" to do anything about the schools. They're paying a lot -- lifting their fingers at work literally for weeks every year in most cases solely to support the schools.

Berkowitz: Meeks doesn't think low-income parents are getting enough of an educational subsidy. Zorn's right, in part. The problem is not the lack of subsidy, which is what Zorn is saying, in part. The problem is that the parents of low income kids do not have the power to remove their kids and the money that is being spent on them from the failing public schools and transfer that money to the school of their choice. [Zorn unfortunately is not saying this, but Meeks seems to be coming around to this point of view.] When schools need to compete to keep or attract students and their money, they will think of ways to deal with what are admittedly very difficult problems in the inner city schools. It may also be that the expenditures in the Chicago Public Schools (“CPS”) and other inner city areas are not distributed equally. It would not surprise me to learn that, say, the schools serving kids from the top 15% of income earners in Chicago consume, say, 30% of the tax dollars. If so, that would leave the bottom 85% of income earners with 70%of the resources. Even if so, the greater problem for educational outcomes is the lack of parental empowerment issue, not the disproportionate distribution of educational resources. Of course, Meeks might reasonably argue that suburbs, whose school districts remain largely outside the control of Chicago, spend more on their kids than Chicago does on its kids. Meeks is probably right, but that still should not be his focus. The CPS spends $15,000 per kid per year. That should be enough to educate, on average, virtually anybody.

Meeks: Poor and minority schools are staffed by the least qualified teachers.

Zorn: To the extent that this is true, it may reflect simple, obvious market forces at work rather than a conspiracy at the highest levels to shift good teachers to wealthier schools. Teaching at "troubled" schools is really hard work, from everything I've ever heard or read. It's frustrating. It can be dangerous. Who could blame a teacher for preferring -- even at the cost of lower wages -- to work with well-behaved, engaged, prepared students whose parents are involved and supportive?

Berkowitz: Zorn is partially right. The market forces he cites are at work. However, under a voucher system, private schools would be free to offer better teachers more money than inferior teachers. Better could mean smarter teachers in terms of grades or SAT scores. But, it could also mean teachers who figured out how to compensate for lack of parental involvement, fewer books in the home, more drugs in the home, etc. In the CPS, as in the suburbs and the rest of the country, teachers are paid based on the number of years they have been teaching and the number of years of graduate school attended or kinds of graduate school of education degrees obtained (M.A. or Ph.D). Years of education or Education School degrees obtained may have little to do with who is the best teacher. This general issue is known as merit pay. But, often, “merit pay,” is not merit pay. Arne Duncan introduced a system in which everyone who worked at a school got paid more if the students improved. That obviously was not merit pay. Nevertheless, that “innovation,” of Duncan was one reason given for his elevation to Secretary of Education by President Obama.

Meeks: When a child reaches high school at a fifth-grade reading level, society offers no hope, no future and illiteracy as a way of life because we have failed that child for eight years.

Zorn: When a child reaches high school at a fifth-grade reading level, he or she either has learning disabilities (which strike across the socio-economic spectrum and do need to be addressed by specialists) or he or she has not been spending enough time reading for the past eight years. Why is this our failure?

Berkowitz: It is our failure because as responsible citizens we should expect our CPS, that spends $15,000 per kid per year to be able to teach kids, at an early age, how to read and to make sure they do enough reading to master that skill. And, if the CPS can’t do that, we, as responsible citizens and journalists, should put pressure on Mayor Daley and state legislators to let the CPS parents take their $15,000 that we are spending on their kids now and let them transfer it to schools that couldn’t do any worse. Indeed, empirical studies of school vouchers in Cleveland, Milwaukee and DC mostly show that voucher kids do as well or better than non school-voucher kids. So, Eric, what exactly do we have to lose by allowing some empowerment for low=income parents?

Meeks: Without question, the lack of preparedness of students leads to despair, disruption and ultimately violence.

Zorn: My own pet theory, since we're clearly trafficking in pet theories here, is that joblessness and the poverty that attends it is what leads to despair, disruption and ultimately violence. If the parents of these students had good jobs and provided stable homes, the families would have concrete, realistic aspirations for the students -- hope, if I may use a word that's now cliche -- and the students would do better in school.

Zorn: Don't believe me? Do you think it's simply the quality of teaching that generates such vastly higher academic performances in wealthier and more stable communities (of all races and ethnicities)? Or do you think it's because kids whose parents have decent jobs and decent incomes have greater incentives and more motivation?

Berkowitz: Zorn is now asking how can we make sure that all low-income earners become high income earners, and preferably overnight. That’s really, really hard to do, Eric. But, something we can do is to change the system so that low-income parents are empowered to spend their $15,000 per kid in a way that motivates competition by private schools to try really hard to teach their kids how to read, write and do arithmetic, as we used to say. The schools that do that really well will expand and those that don’t will go out of business. The main beneficiaries of this change will be low-income parents whose kids will learn how to read by the time they start high school. Competition, the patron saint of the consumer.

Meeks: Nobody wants to be held accountable, but the blood of every child is on our hands.

Zorn: My sense is that overheated, accusatory rhetoric like this annoys rather than galvanizes the average person. Or maybe I just speak for myself.

Berkowitz: Eric, sometimes a little drama is appropriate. Fifteen years ago, the Illinois State Legislature almost adopted a pilot program for school vouchers. But, the teachers unions pressured the legislators to back off. Mayor Daley did start a reform program that accomplished some things under Paul Vallas. But, Vallas left in 2001 and the CPS stagnated under Duncan, with standardized tests being changed to show false improvements [Which Arne Duncan admitted on Face the Nation a month ago]. The CPS is now going backwards.

Berkowitz: Given the above track record, I certainly don’t mind a little overheated, accusatory rhetoric from Senator Meeks. The man is justified, Eric.

Meeks: For the first time in my personal and political career, I am exploring the idea of vouchers and charter schools to help facilitate choice and enhance academic performance. Why should we continue to make investments in a system that is bankrupt and weighed down with bureaucracy?

Zorn: My problem with voucher-based education is that it relies on a level of parental involvement that's manifestly missing and on a free-market system that is failing the inner-city already. Not that there is any easy answer, but these communities need jobs and affordable housing, far lower single-parent birth rates and, yes, calm, safe focused classrooms in which students can learn and teachers can teach.

Berkowitz: On this, Eric Zorn couldn’t be more wrong. All the parent of a school voucher child has to do is once a year be provided some information about alternative schools and make a choice: either stay put in one of the 60% or so public schools in Chicago that is failing or opt out for a private school that might do better and almost assuredly can’t do any worse. I imagine the likes of Rev. Meeks, Rev. Jackson, Eric Zorn, Anne Duncan, Jeff Berkowitz, local ministers, local educators, local business people, Carol Marin, goo goo reformers, etc. could hold meetings, go door to door and make recommendations as to which private schools were best and ultimately the individual parents would make a decision.

Berkowitz: What we have found, over the centuries, is that individuals, no matter how poorly educated or motivated, make much better decisions for themselves than others, and certainly than a state appointed czar. We have enough czars these days, we don’t need anymore. What we need is a little bit of freedom for the individual to choose. You could say I am pro-Choice. School Choice, that is.

Berkowitz: Further, Carolyn Hoxby, a professor of Economics at the Hoover Institution (who used to teach at Harvard) has recently published a study that demonstrated that the importance of parental motivation can be somewhat overstated in educational performance. Dr. Hoxby studied charter school performance where admission was based on lottery. Thus, students who attended the charter schools and those that did not came from similar socio-economic backgrounds with similar levels of parental involvement. Yet, the charter school students outperformed those attending traditional public schools. Similar studies exist for school voucher student performance v. traditional school student performance.

Berkowitz: As to Zorn’s statements that “a free-market system is failing the inner-city already,” I don’t know what he could possibly mean. As of now, low income parents have little or no purchasing power to spend on education. So, there is virtually no free market system at work. Most of the private schools in the inner city are parochial schools that provide small numbers of scholarships. Or, private individuals and businesses provide “opportunity scholarships,” aka school vouchers.

Berkowitz: With school vouchers, low-income individuals would have substantial purchasing power. In Cleveland, Milwaukee and DC, the school vouchers are not fully funded and yet work quite well. Fully fund them at $15,000 per kid, per year, and I assure you, the free market would work quite well to provide successful alternatives to the CPS.

Meeks: Since the will to change the system is nonexistent, we should allow students the flexibility to attend schools outside their district.

Zorn: An interesting idea, the logistics of which boggle the mind. Even if we could pull it off, though, and allow certain, motivated students to flee, the basic problem they are fleeing -- joblessness and its attendant poverty -- will remain.

Berkowitz: Firstly, this is a second best to school vouchers. Under school vouchers, parents can choose to send their kids outside their local area, but they would not have to because quality private schools would be built near by. Secondly, the political difficulties of designing a “public school,” choice system are enormous and therefore such a system is unlikely to be offered. School vouchers, on the other hand, are primarily blocked by teachers’ unions who put pressure on state legislators to block them. Those unions present obstacles, but they can be overcome if people like Rev./Senator Meeks and Chicago Tribune columnist and [Father of Chicago blogging] Eric Zorn are willing to stand up to them.

Berkowitz: Thirdly, Zorn sniffs “certain, motivated students could flee.” implying other students would be left behind, and therefore it is not a good solution. A similar argument is sometimes made against school vouchers, i.e., it is said maybe half the students would leave but the other half- those with less motivated parents—would be left behind. However, I do think in most cases all the students at failing public schools could and would leave, certainly if a fully funded, $15,000 school voucher were offered.

Berkowitz: But, if only half the students could attend voucher schools, wouldn’t you let those students go. If half the students go and half the money goes, how are the remaining students worse off? If your house were on fire, and you could save only two of your four kids, would you say—“Oh, let them all burn.” I don’t think so. I mean, let all my people go. But, if Moses could only save half, I am sure he would say—so, be it. Let half go.

QED.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than one hundred of our shows from the last two years of "Public Affairs," are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .
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Andrzejewski (interviewed by Berkowitz) calls McKenna’s entry into Gov race bad for Illinois; Questions failed leadership of McKenna;Cable & Streaming

2009-10-29T15:27:00.018-05:00

He pulls a knife, you pull a gun.

He sends one of your boys to the hospital. You send one of his to the morgue.

That’s the Chicago Way.
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Adam Andrzejewski [R-Hinsdale]:...I had 83% of probable Republican voters—did not know who I was-- and I was still ahead of Senator Dillard, Chairman Schillerstrom and Dan Proft. I was one point behind the failed chair of our Party, Andy McKenna. I was within the margin of error of Senator Brady…now these guys have... [Watch the show on your computer]
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Jeff Berkowitz’s interview with Republican Primary Gubernatorial Candidate Adam Andrzejewski is now streaming here. Andrzejewski, 39, a self made retired millionaire who claims to have a net worth in excess of ten million dollars (tax returns posted here), welcomes both Andy McKenna, Jr. and Jim Ryan to the race, but questions whether the strategy being taken by the dynamic duo is good for the Party or the State. Andrzejewski also cites a poll of Jim Ryan’s placing Adam within the margin of error of frontrunner, 15 year state legislator, Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington).

Andrzejewski grew up in downstate Herscher, IL and now lives in DuPage County, in the suburb of Hinsdale, about 30 miles west of Chicago, IL (also the home of Senator and Gov candidate Kirk Dillard) with his wife Kerry and three daughters.

For more about the show with Andrzejewski, including this week’s Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule of the show with Andrzejewski on “Public Affairs,” and the show’s topics, please go here. The show with Andrzejewski also airs next week in Aurora and Rockford, and the week after in the City of Chicago.
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The Chicago Way?

Jeff Berkowitz: Here’s a line I borrowed [from Sean Connery in the Untouchables, via Chris Wallace on last week’s Fox News Sunday]

He pulls a knife, you pull a gun.

He sends one of your boys to the hospital. You send one of his to the morgue.

That’s the Chicago Way.

Jeff Berkowitz: I mean is this [process] really Hardball. You feeling this now, just running in the Republican Primary or does the Chicago Way just refer to Democratic politics…
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Andy McKenna, Jr. and Jim Ryan parachute into the Governor's Race

Adam Andrzejewski [Republican Primary Candidate for Governor]…When I declared eight months ago. I felt, you’ve got to get out, you’ve got to meet the people, you’ve got to shake the hands, you’ve got to hear what’s important to people. I think two of these guys [McKenna and Ryan] have a different strategy.

Jeff Berkowitz: …What do you mean a different strategy?

Adam Andrzejewski: Well, they are parachuting in—

Jeff Berkowitz: Oh, you mean coming in late.

Adam Andrzejewski: Literally, in the 12th hour.

Jeff Berkowitz: Are you resentful that Andy McKenna, Jr. and Jim Ryan think they can come in—in the last three months—and do it?

McKenna and Ryan bad for the Party? for Illinois?

Adam Andrzejewski: No, I just think it is bad for the Party. I think it is bad for Illinois.

Jeff Berkowitz: Why is it bad for the Party?

Adam Andrzejewski [R-Hinsdale]: Well, the problem with the Party has been an abject lack of leadership. It has been an abject lack of workers on the ground. And, it has been an abject lack of policies and good ideas and push back versus the Democrats. When you parachute in with one hundred days to go, you haven’t built the Party. One of the hallmarks of my campaign is I have been running with clean conservatives that we’ve identified on the ground. They’re running for precinct committeemen while I am running for Governor. We’ve identified hundreds of those people. Andy McKenna, coming in here in the 11th hour, he hasn’t done—not only didn’t he do that as Party Chairman, but he’s not doing that in his campaign for Governor. And, neither is Jim Ryan. I don’t begrudge them the race…But, I do think it is bad for Illinois that these guys have not shook the hands, listened to people … been vetted by people. Look, these are the days, after George Ryan—

Jeff Berkowitz: Well, maybe they would say they don’t have to because they have been in politics…multiple terms at Attorney General for Jim Ryan, he ran for Governor in 2002…

Adam Andrzejewski [R-Hinsdale]: A long time ago.

Jim Ryan's poll: Good for Jim? Good for Adam?

Jeff Berkowitz: …[He has] a lot of name recognition. [Jim Ryan] says his polling shows him doing better than the folks who are in this race now. And, he hasn’t been doing what you have been doing. You are little known- you have to admit…You have run one TV ad. People are saying if you have, as you have suggested, more than ten million dollars in net worth, why aren’t you out there developing your name, running more TV?

Adam Andrzejewski [R-Hinsdale]: …The poll that I like, it was Jim Ryan’s poll, it had me with zero negatives and 5% positives and I was …the candidate in that poll that played well in every segment of Illinois and that was before I went up statewide, with radio and television…

Jeff Berkowitz: What’s your name recognition across the state of Illinois…

Adam Andrzejewski [R-Hinsdale]: …I was ahead of Senator Dillard; I was ahead of Chairman Schillerstrom-

Jeff Berkowitz: …What’s your name recognition…

Adam Andrzejewski within striking distance of McKenna and Brady?

Adam Andrzejewski [R-Hinsdale]: That’s the nice thing about the poll. I had 83% of probable Republican voters—did not know who I was-- and I was still ahead of Senator Dillard, Chairman Schillerstrom and Dan Proft. I was one point behind the failed chair of our Party, Andy McKenna. I was within the margin of error of Senator Brady…now these guys have spent a career in politics…I have had to create all of that on this campaign, starting March 1. The message is resonating on the trail
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than one hundred of our shows from the last two years of "Public Affairs," are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .
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McKenna-Murphy make it official: They are running for Gov and Lt. Gov. and they spell out their campaign themes, including "Springfield outsiders."

2009-10-28T05:27:00.006-05:00

Revised at 10:55 am on Wednesday to expand McKenna-Murphy Theme No. 3, below, to include Illinois job growth, which was a very clear emphasis of the McKenna-Murphy announcement and an inadvertent omission from our earlier draft of this post.
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Andy McKenna, Jr. made his run for Governor in the Republican Primary official yesterday morning by announcing to a crowd of about seventy-five supporters and ten media members. It was a joint announcement with his running mate, third year State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), who introduced Andy to the crowd.

The setting was a very nice setting at City Escape, about five miles west of the Chicago Loop. What could be more green than a green house garden center and design studio. That business was created by Chicago Entrepreneurial Center, an organization for which McKenna, Jr. is a founding Co-Chair.

McKenna-Murphy to go up on TV now

All of the above fits with what is being said about the McKenna, Jr. campaign. It is a campaign that will buy a lot of TV time to give McKenna-Murphy a soft, yet solid, feel and look. McKenna, Jr. is said to be planning a multi-million dollar TV buy, starting soon, then breaking for the Holidays in late November and picking up again for a blitzkrieg air war in January.

Andy McKenna, Jr.: A Springfield outsider?

But, to complement the soft-sell, so to speak, about wife, family and church-going man of character and integrity, there will be some "issue," emphasis, as well. The No. 1 theme will be to run against Springfield, thus Andy is being promoted as the Springfield outsider. As he said yesterday morning, to lead off his press availability,

You need an outsider to go down to Springfield who is not vested in any of those [special] interests. … [I was] never a part of that as the State Party chair …I ‘called out,’ those things…What Springfield needs is someone who is going to cut the spending, cut the corruption, restore integrity in government, that’s what’s needed, that’s what I can bring.”

And prior to that, Senator Murphy introduced Andy as being “unlike Springfield.” Kind of like the "uncola." And, “with his business background and outsider perspective, Andy knows how to create jobs; he knows how to balance budgets,” his running mate Murphy told the crowd.

McKenna is running against public corruption

The No. 2 theme will be to run against public corruption. Andy reminded the crowd that in the last 30 years, over 1000 people have gone to jail in Illinois for public corruption.

McKenna is running against tax and spend and for jobs.

The No. 3 theme is to run against an increase in taxes and spending and for jobs.
As Andy urged Springfield yesterday morning, cut the spending because, “you will not get a tax increase from Andy to balance this budget.” [Emphasis supplied]. When Sen. Murphy introduced McKenna, Murphy said,“Illinois is one of seven states with fewer jobs today than we had ten years ago...over the last decade, almost three quarters of a million people have left Illinois." When Andy McKenna, Jr. spoke to his supporters, he said he would "grow jobs," and "he will invite job creators, big business and small to Springfield and get their ideas about how to create an environment for more job growth in Illinois." McKenna emphasized that "Eight of ten new jobs are [from] small business."

McKenna is running on ethics

The No. 4 theme is to focus on ethics. Andy McKenna, Jr. will make his Lt. Gov. running candidate, Sen. Murphy, the chief compliance officer in the Executive Branch. Murphy, a litigation attorney, will establish ethical standards and see that they are fulfilled.

Only promise what you can afford

The No. 5 theme is to “Build a government we can afford.”

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Beholden to special interests?

When questioned whether he raised money for the State GOP from special interests, Andy McKenna, Jr. emphasized he would, if elected, “not be beholden to any interests.” He emphasized that Springfield needs a business perspective, a perspective that requires dealing with and solving the problems now, not tomorrow.

McKenna’s friends

McKenna said he will deal with debt and cut spending because he is not trying to “become everybody’s friend.” McKenna, Jr. said he will be friends “with the voters of Illinois who need leadership,” not with the County Chairmen who are looking for jobs.
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The McKenna family’s ties to the Dems

Charles Thomas [ABC-7’s political editor] said Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft is making an issue of how much money McKenna, Jr. and his family have, focusing on the gap between the McKennas’ personal wealth and struggling people of Illinois. McKenna’s response: “That is politics as usual.” McKenna said that he would focus on jobs and unemployment, not that stuff. [Ed. Note: it appears that Thomas may have gotten Proft wrong because Proft issued a release yesterday focusing on the large amount of campaign contributions Andy McKenna, Sr. gave to Democratic pols, e.g., Mayor Daley and the Madigans, and Proft re-iterated to this reporter that that was his focus, as well as the close ties of McKenna, Sr. to Mayor Daley, not the amount of wealth that the McKenna family has.
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Will McKenna pledge not to raise taxes for four years?

This reporter tried to probe Andy McKenna Jr.’s commitment to no new taxes, asking, “Andy, you say you [wouldn’t] raise taxes this year, would you take that pledge not to raise taxes through your entire term, if elected.” McKenna, Jr. responded:

What I am not going to do is put a burden on families when government has done virtually nothing to cut their own spending. I don’t know that anybody even knows the scope of the problem today. Who in this room realizes that this government took 10 billion dollars in debt and moved it to 90 billion dollars in debt. Tom Cross tried to get a list of government programs that he could cut and the state of Illinois couldn’t even give it to him. So, I don’t know that anyone even understands the scope of the problems. What we’re going to do is stand up for the families and go cut spending.

That sounds to this reporter as if McKenna is not saying what he will do, or not do, in subsequent years. Apparently, like Senator Dillard, Andy McKenna, Jr. is not ruling out future tax increases
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Free Rides for seniors?

McKenna, Jr. punted on whether he would withdraw “free rides for seniors,” He did say the government kept making promises it couldn’t keep. He would …look at everything we are spending and say, “What is the government we can afford.” So, in short, McKenna didn’t answer that question.
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Did McKenna, Jr. abuse his State GOP chair position?

As to Republican Gov candidate Bob Schillerstrom’s allegations that McKenna, Jr. was getting proprietary information [as Party chairman] from the potential candidates at the same time as he was planning to run for something , that’s just “more inside politics.” McKenna tried to move on, saying he is going to talk about job creation, solving the spending problem, solving the corruption problem.

When challenged that he didn’t answer the above question, McKenna said the state party does polls at all times, it does that as it goes forward in election cycles…

Another reporter said, “You are accused of using party resource to help develop your campaign.” McKenna answered the question by saying, “That’s not correct…my opponents are going to throw many stones but that’s not what we are going to deal with, we are going to talk about issues of importance to Illinois voters…their jobs and the fact that people are talking about that means that they are career politicians who don’t have anything to say about jobs.
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Outrageous spending that McKenna, Jr. plans to cut?

When asked to give examples of outrageous spending that he plans to cut, McKenna referred to the fact that the State of Illinois budgets 2.5 million dollars for Lt. Gov and nobody is in the office. McKenna, Jr. said Gov Quinn ought to get rid of that budget item. Andy McKenna, Jr. then argued that “Matt Murphy found three billion dollars in cost cuts in the senate deficit reduction committee. There’s plenty of opportunity to go after it. And, just the whole size of government. We’ve got more government than we need.”

This reporter closed the press availability by asking Andy McKenna, Jr: “Senators Brady and Dillard—people say about them that they are the frontrunners, what do you add to this race that Dillard and Brady don’t have? Andy responded:

There’s good people running in this race, but we bring a different dimension. That’s why we decided to run. We really believe you need an outsider to go to Springfield. We believe a business person is the right profile at this point. We’ve not been down there. We’ve not been part of the problem. I think someone who has the conviction to put a stake in the ground on spending. Someone who has the conviction to take whatever political risks are necessary to fix both the fiscal and ethical issues.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .
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Better than McKenna-Murphy announcing their candidacy for Gov/Lt.Gov:Berkowitz w/ Republican Gov candidate Adam Andrzejewski;Cable and soon streaming

2009-10-27T18:25:00.004-05:00

This week's Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features 2010 Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate and self-made multi-millionaire Adam Andrzejewski, who lives in Hinsdale with his wife, Kerry, and children. The Chicago Metro Suburban airing schedule for Public Affairs is included, below. The show was recorded on Sunday, October 25, 2009.
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You can also soon watch the show with Adam Andrzejewski on your computer here.
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The show with Adam Andrzejewski, a candidate for Governor in the Republican Primary, includes a far ranging discussion with show host and Executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz of ways to handle the State budget deficit without an income tax or sales tax increase, how to restrain state spending, school vouchers-school choice and other ways to reform education, why Andrzejewski believes property taxes are not really "capped," the views of Andrzejewski about abortion and concealed carry, why Adam Andrzejewski wants "Every dime on line," how to end pay to play, Andrzejewski's perception of the latest entrant into the Republican Primary race for Governor (Andy McKenna, Jr.) and the latest potential entrant into that race (Jim Ryan) and much, much more.
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The Chicago Metro suburban episode of "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," featuring this week's guest Adam Andrzejewski, a candidate for Governor in the Republican Primary, airs on:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.

and tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and tonight, Tuesday night, at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
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The Public Affairs show featuring Adam Andrzejewski, a candidate for Governor in the Republican Primary, also airs on Monday night (Nov. 9) throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .
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Better than Monday night football: Berkowitz w/Republican gubernatorial Frontrunner Sen. Bill Brady; Cable tonight in Chicago & Aurora-and streaming

2009-10-26T14:05:00.009-05:00

The "Public Affairs," show featuring Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), candidate in the 2010 Gubernatorial Republican Primary, is airing tonight, Oct. 26: (1) throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and (2) on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The program also airs at 3:30 pm tomorrow and Wednesday in Aurora and surrounding areas (New regular slots for "Public Affairs"). The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.

The "Public Affairs," show featuring Senator Bill Brady, Candidate in the 2010 Gubernatorial Republican Primary, will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) this Thursday night, Oct. 29, at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.

All of the above are regular airing slots for "Public Affairs."
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You also watch the show with Senator Brady on your computer.
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For partial transcripts of the show with Sen. Brady and more about tonight's show in Chicago and Aurora, including Brady on the newest actual entrant in the Gov race (Andy McKenna, Jr.) and the newest potential entrant in the race (Jim Ryan- who is "filing next Monday," and "considering a run.") please go here.

Jim Ryan is considering a run for Governor? Well, we wouldn't want to rush into things. It is only 99 days until the election. He will file next Monday and then he'll decide sometime after that? Meanwhile, he wants you to give him money while he continues to mull it over? Sounds a bit peculiar, does it not. I mean I am just saying.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Berkowitz and Bellandi go two on one with the Republican Guv Candidates at the Union League Club of Chicago post forum locker room show

2009-10-26T05:29:00.012-05:00

After the Republican gubernatorial candidate forum at the Union League Club of Chicago on Wednesday [See here], a media availability was held with each candidate who appeared at the forum: retired millionaire businessman Adam Andrzejewski (R-Hinsdale), Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), Senator Dillard (R-Westmont), DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom and media personality Dan Proft (R-Chicago). Andy McKenna, Jr., who is scheduled to make his official announcement tomorrow of his entry into this race and who is the former State GOP Chairman, declined to attend the forum. Same with former Attorney General Jim Ryan, who is expected to file in the Republican Gov race within the next week.

The MSM apparently chose Mayor Daley over the Republican Gov Candidates

Most of the MSM left the forum without attending the media availabilities, if they attended the forum at all, apparently to attend Mayor Daley’s “newsworthy,” budget speech. Thus, most, if not all of the questions asked at the media availabilities, came from the AP’s Deanna Bellandi and this reporter, who, along with maybe one or two others, made up the press corps at the availabilities. The candidates appeared, in seriatim, but their sequence, below, is different, for style purposes, than the order in which they actually appeared.

Adam Andrzejewski

Disconnected from the Illinois pols

When this reporter indicated to Adam Andrzejewski that the Lon Monk plea agreement raised the specter of former Illinois National Republican Committeeman Bob Kjellander possibly being indicted related to his role in the Blagojevich ten billion dollar bond sale underwritten by Bear Stearns [from whom Kjellander received an $809,000 fee for his “work” on that matter], Andrzejewski argued that that scenario supported his argument that he can win in the general election because he “is disconnected from the Illinois political class.”

Adam on Dillard and the Blago 10 billion dollar bond deal

Adam argued further he is running against Springfield experience, stating “Senator Dillard was just up here saying he has no relationship to Kjellander, but it was his vote on the 10 billion dollar bond deal, borrowing and spending that enabled Blagojevich and gave an $809,000 bond commission to Bob Kjellander. So, I am disconnected from that past and that baggage.” [Ed. Note: Dillard was one of four Republicans to break with the Republican Senate Caucus, and at the time Senator Lauzen accused Dillard of "stabbing the Republican Caucus in the back." Lauzen is now an ardent supporter of the Dillard for Governor campaign. Time heals all wounds?]

Evolution

But, Andrzejewski was much less aggressive on the issue of teaching evolution, essentially punting on the issue. When this reporter asked Adam how he felt about teaching evolution as opposed to creationism in the Illinois public schools, he said, “It’s two minutes to midnight here in Illinois on the fiscal issues, the state bounced checks- about two months ago, it didn’t even know the cash balances. I am not prepared to take a public position on that issue, right now.”
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Senator Bill Brady

Evolution and creationism

In contrast to Andrzejewski, Senator Bill Brady was prepared to take a position on the “evolution,” issue. When this reporter asked Brady about teaching evolution and/or creationism in the public schools, Senator Brady said, “Curriculum ought to be left to local school boards.” When this reporter followed up and asked if Brady would be okay with a local school board deciding to teach creationism, not evolution, Brady said he believed most school boards probably would choose not to do that, but he supported leaving local control in the hands of the local school boards.

Bob Kjellander

Regarding the Lon Monk plea agreement and the issue of Bob Kjellander, Brady stated he had stood up to Bob Kjellander by asking him to step down [from his NRC position]. Sen. Brady said he “did not know that Kjellander had done anything illegal, that’s up to the authorities, but he thought, “The perception clouded the values of the Republican Party.”
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Senator Kirk Dillard

Fixing the State Budget and the tax issue

In response to a question from Deanna Bellandi of AP as to whether it is realistic to argue that he would not raise taxes to “fix the state budget,” Senator Dillard compared the situation to the state of the budget and the economy when Governor Edgar and he took over the reins of power in 1991 and he pointed out, essentially, that they managed the situation quite nicely without raising taxes.

Not ruling out a tax increase?

This reporter followed up by reminding Sen. Dillard that Proft and Brady have “ruled out a tax increase,” and Dillard on the other hand, has not, even though Sen. Dillard has said often that he doesn’t think we should have a tax increase to deal with the current state budget issues. I then asked Senator Dillard specifically if he thought his apparent declining to rule out a tax increase “would continue to be an issue in the Primary.”

Dillard’s record of opposing tax increases

Senator Dillard responded by saying, “I’m not espousing any type of a tax increase. I believe we can fix our problems by growing the economy and manage-- So, that’s where I’m at. I think it is very clear. I have a long record… I’ve never voted for a general tax increase in my years in the General Assembly…I continue to espouse removing the sales tax on gasoline. Property tax caps-- Aside from what Adam Andrzejewski says, property tax caps in this state are capped, right now, I believe, at like 0.1 %, barring a referendum--…they’re still too high but referendum is the cause of much of that…so I have fought tax increases my entire career and will continue to do so.”

Opposing a proposed tax increase in January, 2010

In response to a question from Deanna Bellandi as to how he would he vote if an income tax increase comes up for a vote in January “like Pat Quinn is predicting,” Senator Dillard said, emphatically, he would vote against it. Jim Edgar’s former Chief of Staff reminded the media present that he has said many times that “it is economic suicide to raise income taxes, let alone in a recession, and one of the good economic development tools we have going for us vis a vis our terrible business climate is we have a low, flat, stable income tax.”

Dillard would veto a tax increase

This reporter then followed up on Bellandi’s question by asking Dillard if he would pledge to veto [an income tax increase] if he were Governor and it passed the House and the Senate. Dillard responded, “Under these conditions, sure.” This reporter than rebounded his own shot by asking, “Are there conditions under which you could conceive of signing that bill?” Senator Dillard gave an unequivocal, “No.”

In light of all of the above, it is somewhat puzzling why Senator Dillard won’t rule out supporting an income tax increase. Perhaps if we can somehow get him to agree to come back on “Public Affairs,” as he used to before he was a candidate for Governor, we can ask that. It would be easier to ask questions like that as a part of a more thoughtful, cordial conversation- unlike the somewhat stilted atmosphere of a press conference, even one like Wednesday’s when there were only two media members, and often only one, asking questions.

Impact of a possible indictment of Kjellander

This reporter brought up with Senator Dillard, in the context of the plea agreement by Lon Monk that was disclosed on Tuesday, a possible indictment of Bob Kjellander and what impact, if any, that might have on the Republican Primary for Governor and possibly on Dillard’s campaign. Senator Dillard said Bob Kjellander “doesn’t have any role in my race,” referring the media to John Kass’ column of a couple years ago, where Dillard said he was quoted as saying, “Bob Kjellander’s got to go.” Senator Dillard continued, “That was a long time ago, so it doesn’t affect my race because he is not a part of my campaign.”

Of course, I was not suggesting that Bob Kjellander was running Senator Dillard’s campaign. I was referring to (a) the reports that Jim Edgar, for example, was said to have owned a horse farm with Kjellander’s wife and (b) the fact that Kjellander’s wife is said to have worked for Edgar.

Dillard connected to the Kjellanders?

Moreover, Springfield is kind of a company town. People of the same party involved in high level, political public policy work are usually not strangers. And, of course, not a day seems to go by, of late, that the media do not hear about how closely Senator Dillard worked with Governor Edgar, back in the day. Thus, if the Kjellanders had various “connections to Jim Edgar, you might have thought Senator Dillard might have had a few connections to KJ, at least through Dillard’s old boss, Governor Edgar.

Pursuing that line of thought, this reporter asked Senator Dillard if the Kjellanders were fairly close to Edgar. Dillard said, “I don’t know… I don’t know who the Edgars socialize with.”

Senator Dillard connected to Cellini?

Of course, we could have asked, [if we had not surpassed our apparently pre-set time limitations with Senator Dillard], if Senator Dillard has known, over the years, Bill Cellini, who has been indicted for public corruption. Again, it is said that Cellini was relatively close to Governor Edgar, as was Kirk Dillard, at various points in time.

Guilt by association

We should emphasize that we don’t believe in “guilt by mere association.” So, there is nothing necessarily wrong or bad about Edgar or Dillard ever having been associated with Kjellander or Cellini, if they were. Nevertheless, it is something that the media should be looking at and asking questions about, as a part of good journalism.

Media availability with Schillerstrom

Time to change the Springfield Six?

Schillerstrom said that an indictment of Kjellander would probably have some negative impact on the Republican Party but he suggested that the people of Illinois are tired of the way the Democrats have used their power for the last seven years and that it is time for a new breed of Republicans, such as him, “to step forward with new ideas and bring them to Springfield to change the culture down there.”

Dan Proft

[Due to editorial time and space limitations, we will discuss Republican Gov Primary candidate Dan Proft’s media availability as part of a separate post, in the near future]
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . Recent shows include as featured guests Republican Primary Gov candidate State Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka) and 14th CD Republican Primary candidate State Sen. Randy Hultgren (R-Winfield)
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The ULC Republican Gov Candidate Forum: 5 guys who say they don’t want to raise your taxes and who want to run against Blago.Will Jim & Andy join in?

2009-10-21T15:26:00.009-05:00

We’ll report further, perhaps, later in the day about this morning’s Union League Club of Chicago (“ULC”) forum with five of the six declared Republican Primary candidates for Governor, but for now suffice it to say that there were no major surprises before a packed crowd of about 220 paying members and non-members. The well-run program [thanks to David Kohn and Dick Barry] lasted about an hour, with questions/answers sandwiched between short opening and closing statements by each candidate.

Robling’s packaging of the questions.

The forum was moderated by Chris Robling [a PR/crisis management professional with some political experience of his own] in his usual, ULC workmanlike fashion. One new twist was that the ULC departed from its traditional policy of having questions asked directly by those in attendance, with Chris carrying a roving mike into the audience. Instead, the questions came to Chris either by email prior to the forum or were collected on note cards during the forum, and Robling seemed to do a nice job of consolidating multiple questions, quite fairly, into a single, unified question, albeit with several parts, that Chris read to the candidates.

The five Republican Gov candidates who showed up.

As Woody Allen famously said, 90% of life is showing up [the other 10%, if you partake of the Hollywood culture, apparently is going after your 18 year-old step-daughter]. Attending the ULC forum were retired, self declared, ten million dollar, or so, net worth thirty-nine year old entrepreneur Adam Andrzejewski; fifteen year, Bloomington state legislator/real estate businessman Bill Brady; fifteen year, DuPage County state senator and former Edgar Chief of Staff and Thompson staffer, attorney (Locke, Lord Bissell and Liddell) Kirk Dillard; thirty-seven year old campaign consultant, PR firm owner and media personality Dan Proft and DuPage County Board Chairman and attorney (Ice Miller) Bob Schillerstrom.

The no shows.

The most recent entrant into the Republican Gov Sweepstakes, former State GOP Chairman and Schwarz Paper Company President Andy McKenna, Jr. was a no show. Perhaps he is still working on fine tuning his media message for his anticipated, well publicized, heavy duty, TV ad buy. Jim Ryan, the former Illinois AG and 2002 Republican nominee for Governor, is apparently still mulling his entry into the race and, in any case, will be kept under wraps as long as possible. That was Jim Ryan’s media strategy in 2002 and although it was a loser then, his handlers still seem inclined to go with the same strategy.

The Candidates’ themes

Adam Andrzejewski went with his usual “every dime on line.” theme of making state government more transparent by putting all state expenditures on the web. Bill Brady went with “jobs through economic growth,” brought about by less burdensome taxes and regulation. For Dan Proft, it was clear, conservative, substantial reform of the big ticket items of Education, Transportation, Medicaid and State operations and Pensions, as well as “cutting,” the income tax rate and initiating statewide [for low income parents] school vouchers, charter schools, school choice programs. For Kirk Dillard, it is his bio—staffer with Jim Thompson, Chief of Staff to Edgar, works well with everybody and his legislative accomplishments, e.g., passing “Landmark Ethics reform.” [a phrase that drew a “How’s that [ethics reform] working out for you, Kirk” from Proft]. For Bob Schillerstrom, it was-- I know how to run a big county like DuPage-- so let me show you what I can do with Illinois.

They won’t raise the income tax or sales tax, or will they?

Each of the above-described, five candidates is saying, to the dismay of the MSM, “There is no need to raise the income or general sales tax rate,” but Kirk Dillard still won’t say he will rule out such a tax increase and only Proft wants to cut the state's individual and corporate income tax rate by 50%.

Running against Rod

Of course, each of the above wants to run against the alleged public corruption of impeached, arrested and indicted, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and other Democrats, but things may get sticky for some when the names of Bob Kjellander, Bill Cellini and Tony Rezko are brought up.

Of course, McKenna, Jr., if he does show up sometime, may not want to hear questions about John Kass’ Combine and Jim Ryan may not want to discuss Stu Levine, his long time friend of law school who was convicted of public corruption and is said to have contributed, over the years, more than 800 K to Jim Ryan's campaigns. {Jim Ryan, if he does enter the race, may add some "diversity," in terms of his views about raising the income tax rate in Illinois]/ But, more about those and other items, perhaps, in our later report.

The MSM's priorities

The one surprise of the morning was the absence of most of the MSM at the post-forum press availabilities with each of the Republican Gov candidates. I imagine Carol Marin, et al thought it was more important to see what Mayor Daley had to say about hizzhonor balancing the City of Chicago budget by cutting Venetian Night than questioning the Republican candidates for Governor about education quality, high taxes, too few jobs, public corruption, etc. After all, you have to prioritize in the media.

But the MSM’s loss was this reporter’s gain. It was kind of like one on one basketball with Berkowitz going up against each of the candidates, until ULC Public Affairs Director David Kohn lost his patience with the pick up basketball game, again and again—saying, okay, next candidate. AP's Deanna Bellandi also participated in the questioning.

Most of the candidates have a height advantage over Berkowitz, but they went easy on him, and perhaps some non-MSM member will post the festivities on the web. Again, a more detailed, substantive report to follow.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . Recent shows include as featured guests Republican Primary Gov candidate State Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka) and 14th CD Republican Primary candidate State Sen. Randy Hultgren (R-Winfield)
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Better than Carol Marin w/Hultgren, Steans, Coulson and Burns: Berkowitz w/Sen. Bill Brady on the Gubernatorial issues;Cable this week & now streaming

2009-10-19T19:47:00.011-05:00

State Sen. and Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady [Bloomington]: No question I disclosed confidential information [Watch the show with Sen. Brady].

Jeff Berkowitz: So, did [Andy McKenna, Jr.] abuse that [disclosure] by asking for that [information] and then turning around and running against you?
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Jeff Berkowitz: Is Andy McKenna ducking and dodging? Because, after he announced he was running, he didn’t go to the Cook County GOP convention. There is a Union League Club of Chicago [Republican Primary gubernatorial] debate coming up on [October] 21st (we’re taping this on October 18th), and I’m told he has declined to attend that. So, is he running...
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Jeff Berkowitz: …back to Kirk Dillard, because Dillard said “I think you have to keep every option open but I think there are other options than looking at tax increases.” That was earlier this week…when he was endorsed by Jim Edgar…and then today on “At Issue,” he said...
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This week's Chicago Metro Suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features State Senator and 2010 Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady (Bloomington). The Chicago Metro Suburban airing schedule for Public Affairs is included, below. The show was recorded on Sunday, October 18, 2009.
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You can also watch the show with Senator Brady on your computer.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Did Andy McKenna, Jr. [former State GOP Chairman], who is running now for Governor in your contest-- running against you-- did he come to you before he made the decision [to run], and ask for you to tell him about your campaign so he could decide about endorsing you or somebody else?

State Senator and Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady (R-Bloomington): We had a discussion- I was hoping to get his support—I filled him in on how well our campaign was doing.

Jeff Berkowitz: Did you disclose confidential information and if so, do you think he abused that trust by getting you to disclose that information?

State Sen. Bill Brady: No question I disclosed confidential information.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, did he abuse that [disclosure] by asking for that[information] and then turning around and running against you?

State Sen. Bill Brady: I am not going to say that. [Andy McKenna, Jr.] has to make that decision.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Is Andy McKenna ducking and dodging? Because, after he announced he was running, he didn’t go to the Cook County GOP convention. There is a Union League Club of Chicago [Republican Primary gubernatorial] debate coming up on [October] 21st (we’re taping this on October 18th ), and I’m told he has declined to attend that. So, is he running a …Rose Garden strategy?

State Sen. Bill Brady: Well, I’m not sure he is running. I’ve seen him at very, very few events.
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Jeff Berkowitz: …back to Kirk Dillard, because Dillard said “I think you have to keep every option open but I think there are other options than looking at tax increases.” That was earlier this week…when he was endorsed by Jim Edgar…and then today on “At Issue,” he said he wouldn’t rule it out. He said, “I’m not ruling out tax increases.” But, he doesn’t think we should go for a tax increase.

State Sen. Bill Brady: Well, he’s voted for tax increases. He voted for the [Regional mass transit] sales tax increase in DuPage. He voted for the tax increase last session. It’s hard for him to say he’s going to rule out tax increases when he’s got a record of voting for tax increases. But, this is the difference between where I want to take the Republican party- a clean break from the past—and where others want to take it.
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Jeff Berkowitz: We want Senator Dillard to come here and talk about that…[and the other gubernatorial issues].
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State Senator Bill Brady was in the State House for eight years and has been in the State Senate for seven years. Senator Brady got two years off [from the General Assembly] for good behavior when he ran for the congressional seat now held by Cong. Tim Johnson. He is a citizen politican, spending a good deal of time running, with his brothers, a variety of real estate related businesses, including property managment, home construction and mortgage.

Sen. Brady ran in the 2006 Republican Gubernatorial primary, coming in third out of four candidates, with about 20% of the vote. As of now, it looks like there are six candidates, including Sen. Brady, likely to file later this month in the 2010 Republican Primary for Governor with a 7th, former Illinois AG Jim Ryan(R) mulling it over and joining the six others in circulating nominating petitions, even as this reporter writes this.

Jim Ryan lost to Rod Blagojevich in the 2002 IL Gov race, 52% to 45% and has been out of politics since. He has advocated, in 2007, for the "tax swap," which would have resulted in a substantial increase in the income tax rate and would have increased state tax revenue, at the time, by more than five billion dollars. He also may have a "Stu Levine," problem.

Levine [who was convicted of Public Corruption] and Jim Ryan are long time friends and Levine gave Jim Ryan, along with others, substantial campaign contributions. However, there has been no allegation or evidence presented that Jim Ryan is connected in any way to Levine's corrupt activities. Both the tax and Levine issues relating to Jim Ryan are discussed on the show with Senator Brady.

Senator Brady lives in Bloomington with his wife Nancy. They have been married 27 years and have three children.
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The show with State Senator and 2010 Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady includes a far ranging discussion of state public policy issues and politics relating to budget deficits, public corruption, spending, taxes, jobs, the business climate, gays, guns, abortion, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Governor Pat Quinn, Andy McKenna, Jim Ryan, Dan Proft, Kirk Dillard, Stu Levine, Bill Cellini, education, school vouchers-school choice and much, much more.
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The Chicago Metro suburban episode of "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," featuring guest State Senator and Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady airs on:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.

and Tuesday night at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and Tuesday night at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
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The Public Affairs show featuring State Senator and Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady also airs on Monday night (Oct. 26) throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 and in Aurora and surrounding areas on ACTV-10 on that same night at 7:30 pm and on Tuesday and Wednesday of that week at 3:30 pm on ACTV-10.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .
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Better than Monday Night Football: Berkowitz w/10th CD Candidate Bill Cadigan on Iran,Taxes,Public options and much more; Cable tonight and Streaming

2009-10-19T16:04:00.010-05:00

JeffBerkowitz: That means military action [against Iran].

Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka), 10th CD Republican Primary Candidate: That means military action. It means continued quarantine. It means working with the international community in the meantime to make sure that doesn’t happen.
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The "Public Affairs," show featuring Bill Cadigan, Candidate in the 2010 10th Cong. District Republican Primary and endorsed by Pat Collins, Chairman of the Illinois Reform Commission (and the lead prosecutor, at trial, of former Governor George Ryan)is airing tonight, Oct. 19: (1) throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and (2) on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The program also airs at 3:30 pm this coming Tuesday and Wednesday in Aurora and surrounding areas (New regular slots for "Public Affairs"). The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.

The "Public Affairs," show featuring Bill Cadigan, Candidate in the 2010 10th Cong. District Republican Primary, will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) this Thursday night, Oct. 22, at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.

All of the above are regular airing slots for "Public Affairs."
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You also watch the show with Bill Cadigan on your computer.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Let’s say, at that time (November, 2010), either the sanctions [on Iran] haven’t good forward…or they have been weakened or they somehow have not had an impact…and Iran is undeterred from proceeding with its nuclear capability…would you then, Bill Cadigan, if you had the President’s ear…let’s say you had just been elected and you were representing the 10th Cong. District, would you counsel going ahead with military action against Iran?

Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka), 10th CD Republican Primary candidate: Well, the President said he’s not taking it off the table—

Jeff Berkowitz: I know he’s not but I want to know what Bill Cadigan would be telling Obama or Pelosi or…

Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka): Well, if Iran had the capability of delivering a nuclear weapon and continued with the rhetoric that it did and presented that grave a threat, you know I hope that the United States would take the appropriate action to make sure they couldn’t carry out that threat.

Jeff Berkowitz: That means military action.

Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka): That means military action. It means continued quarantine. It means working with the international community in the meantime to make sure that doesn’t happen.
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The other major candidates joining attorney Bill Cadigan in the 10th CD Republican primary are small businessman Bob Dold and entrepreneur Dick Green, who also both live in Winnetka; and 13 year State Rep. Beth Coulson from Glenview. The major candidates in the 10th CD Democratic Primary are 11 year State Rep. Julie Hamos, from Evanston and Dan Seals, who was the Democratic nominee in the 10th CD in 2006 and 2008. In the recent third quarter fund- raising sweepstakes, State Rep. Hamos, with about 575K raised, almost doubled the performance of her closest fundraising competitors on both the Democratic (Seals) and Republican (Green) sides.

But, for earned in-depth media in the 10th CD primaries, the front-runners are Hamos and Cadigan. See here.
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For additional transcripts of the show with Bill Cadigan and more about show and the 10th CD race, please go here.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Rep. Julie Hamos and Bill Cadigan are the first 10th CD candidates to “go up,” on TV and get in depth “earned media."Cadigan on Cable & now Streaming

2009-10-16T02:49:00.021-05:00

Updated on Friday at 12:30 pm:

A well used line by Bob Sirott when he was at WTTW was "One more thing." Well, one more thing about the below. This journalist goes after 10th CD candidates Dold, Green and Seals for their failure, to date. to commit to appear on "Public Affairs." But, journalists, including this one, should be careful not to paint with too broad a brush.

Bob Dold gave this journalist a ten minute phone interview and pretty much answered all my questions, cheerfully. And, he emphasized that he might commit to do the show at a later time. At the moment, he said, his focus was on grass roots activities. While I would have preferred the 30 minute TV interview now, Bob Dold gave me some time and left the door open to doing the show later-- and that should have been acknowledged, as I am doing now.

Dick Green, on the other hand, expressed interest in doing the show when we bumped into each other and spoke at an Art Laffer-Steve Moore event I was taping in June, 2009. When I followed up a few months later and called him and sent emails telling him I wanted to speak about taping the show, he did not respond. When I finally tracked Green down a few weeks ago, he said he would talk to his campaign staff and get back to me. He never did. When I bumped into Green last Saturday at the Wheeling Township Republican Organization forum with the U. S. Senate and 10th CD Republican candidates, I mentioned some other candidates were doing the show and asked- would he? Green said the fact that other 10th CD candidates were doing the show was good ammunition for him to use to persuade his staff that he should do the show. Green needs to persuade his staff? If Green wins, who will be making the key decisions for Cong. Green? His staff or Dick Green? BTW, Green still hasn't gotten back to me on doing the show. Is getting back to media members the same as getting back, or not getting back, to constituents?

Dan Seals has declined repeatedly over the course of his now three campaigns for the 10th CD seat not to appear on "Public Affairs." Clearly it is not a scheduling problem. He did however give a video interview a few years back to my good friend, Lee Goodman, the Democratic nominee for the 10th CD in 2004. Apparently, Seals thought the questions would be softer coming from Goodman. Whether he was right on that score is a whole other matter. [Democrat Goodman, BTW, appeared multiple times on "Public Affairs," when he ran for the 10th CD seat in 2004.] Given that Seals has done some whining over the years about how much more money Cong. Kirk has had to spend during their election contests, you might think Seals would have jumped at the chance to get multiple, half hour TV "free" or earned media slots. But, he never did jump. Although, Seals did give this journalist a one minute video interview once, after a forum.

So, as you can see, below, when discussing Dold, Green and Seals and their willingness to participate in the democratic process, there are some similarities. But, as you can see, above, there are some very significant differences between Dold, Green and Seals-- and voters, like this journalist-- should take note. I hope this helps them.

END OF UPDATE.
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Today's fundraising winners in the 10th CD

Today, you will be hearing a lot about the fund raising prowess of various federal candidates for office, as yesterday was the deadline for 2010 federal political candidates to file their disclosure reports detailing expenditures and contributions for the last quarter. The primary need for funds by political candidates is to finance an air war, i.e., thirty second television and radio ads.

It is likely you will read that Dick Green (R-Winnetka) raised the most money in the 10th CD Republican Primary (although he will probably have been out-raised by Democratic 10th CD candidate State Rep. Julie Hamos). It is also likely that the great majority of Green’s funds were raised by Dick Green writing a check to Dick Green, which is, of course, legal, ethical and protected by the U. S. Constitution, or so the Supreme Court said more than three decades ago.

Hamos and Cadigan first to go up with earned media

But it should be of equal interest to the media, if not more so, that (1) Rep. Hamos (D-Evanston) was first in the 10th CD to “go up,” on TV, when she got in-depth “earned media,” appearing on “Public Affairs,” about six weeks ago [Go here to read about and take a link to watch Hamos] and (2) Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka) was the first 10th CD Republican Primary candidate to “go up,” on TV with an in-depth interview, when he appeared this week on Public Affairs. Go here and here to read about the interview and go here to watch Cadigan.

Yes, you may have seen the other 10th CD candidates read their scripts from a teleprompter or stand up and answer some softball questions in an empty campaign room or from the local networks on the sidewalk for a thirty second “news,’ spot but you haven’t seem them probed as to how they think, with follow-ups, as required, to make sure they answer the questions and give you, the voters and other interested citizens, a full and thoughtful discussion of the issues.

Ideas have consequences

So, 10th CD candidates State Rep. Julie Hamos (D) and Bill Cadigan (R) have appeared on Public Affairs, and 10th CD candidate State Rep. Beth Coulson (R-Glenview) has committed to appear in November. They are demonstrating their belief in and enthusiasm for the “democratic process.” They seem to believe, as did the University of Chicago’s Professor Weaver, that “ideas have consequences.” More than that, they want their ideas to have consequences and they are willing to subject their ideas to sharp, probing questions, and do all that on TV. A Democrat and two Republicans, Cadigan, Hamos and Coulson have those beliefs and values in common.

Will Dold, Green and Seals continue to duck and dodge ?

But, 10th CD candidates Bob Dold (R), Dick Green (R) and Dan Seals (D) also have something in common. Two Republicans and a Democrat, they are betting, so far, that the voters don’t care if they remain outside of the part of the democratic process that is more engaging and tests their intellectual capabilities, preparation and readiness to serve the 10th CD.

Dold, Green and Seals seem, so far, to want to try to get through the whole campaign season without answering follow-ups, without subjecting themselves to tough, challenging questions and without engaging on the issues. [For Seals, this is a three-peat, on that score]. Mostly what they will be doing, apparently, is walking in parades, dialing for bucks, have someone make nice videos of them walking along the sands of Lake Michigan and then run on their 30 second videos and sound bites, as well as position papers, web statements and mailers-- all drafted by others.

An intellectually air brushed campaign for the 10th CD?

Apparently, Dold, Green and Seals think the 10th CD wants an intellectually air brushed campaign with intellectually air brushed candidates who listen to their handlers and consultants about how to avoid tough questions that test their knowledge and approaches to the issues of the day. In short, they apparently think 10th CD voters will be happy to choose their next congressman or congresswoman without knowing how they reason or approach the issues and how they decide which positions to take. So, it will be interesting to see if the cynicism of Dold, Green and Seals prevails.

On the other hand, Dold, Green and Seals still have time to change their minds. As 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Frank Easterbrook likes to say, "Wisdom come lately is better than wisdom not come at all." The three camera shy candidates can commit today to appear on “Public Affairs.” The phone lines are open. And, all will be forgiven. They can step up, in the name of democracy, to a tough, but fair, interview. The choice is theirs. Cynicism or Democracy? You would think it would be a no brainer.

Public Affairs: The Path to a 10th CD seat and to the Presidency?

I mean, look at the history. Then State Senator Barack Obama made his choice in favor of democracy. He appeared on the show, Public Affairs, five times and he went on to become President, carrying the 10th CD with 61% of the vote. Mark Kirk appeared on the show five times in 1999-2000 and he won the 10th Cong. Dist. Primary and General Election in 2000 and now is the front-runner for the U. S. Senate seat. Perhaps Obama and Kirk provide a bi-partisan lesson for Dold, Green and Seals. You would think. Clearly, it is a lesson that Cadigan, Coulson and Hamos have mastered.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Gov. Edgar endorses Senator Dillard for Governor: Did Edgar make the case?

2009-10-13T05:04:00.007-05:00

Edgar’s endorsement of Sen. Dillard for Governor

Former Governor Jim Edgar, who mentored Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) when Dillard was Edgar’s Chief of Staff for three years in the early 1990s, endorsed Dillard yesterday for Governor. Has Gov. Edgar, the last Illinois Governor not to be indicted, continued to mentor Senator Dillard over the last 15 years, or so? It seems so.

Edgar and Dillard held joint press conferences yesterday morning in Springfield and yesterday afternoon in Chicago. The endorsement might mean a fair amount for two reasons:

First, Jim Edgar was said to leave office in 1998 with approval ratings in the 70s and political pundits speak of him as a man who is still widely remembered and admired around the State of Illinois, and especially downstate—and downstate accounts for 40 to 45 % of the Republican primary vote.

Second, Jim Edgar speaks of Senator Dillard from personal experience with him, making the endorsement potentially more persuasive, especially if Gov. Edgar will do a lot of personal appearances with Dillard.

Did Dillard endorse Obama?

ABC-7 News Political Editor Charles Thomas said at the presser that Adam Andrzejewski, one of five competitors of Dillard for the Republican Primary nomination for Governor, told Thomas that the Republican base-- the Republican right, said Thomas-- will never forgive Dillard for endorsing Obama in the 2008 Iowa primary. What does Dillard think about that, asked Thomas?

Dillard gave a stout defense of his relationship with Barack Obama. He said he had done a five second appearance in the TV ad about his work on ethics in the Illinois state legislature with Obama. Dillard thought this was appropriate because a Democrat, Obama, “had stepped up with Dillard on a Republican principle like ethics,” and that ad was designated for the Democratic primary and it was clear Dillard fully supported John McCain for President.

Edgar jumped into the discussion, saying, “I don’t think all of the Republican Party is to the far right," with the implication that that is the only segment of the Party who would be troubled by the appearance of Dillard in an Obama promo.

Edgar argued further he was pulling for Obama over Hillary Clinton in the primary. Edgar took a little pride in Obama being the Democratic nominee because “he is from Illinois,” and “Edgar voted for John McCain in the General,” but in the primary, that was a different thing. [Presumably, Edgar meant he voted for McCain in the Primary but that he was "pulling," for Obama over Clinton].

Dillard’s crossover appeal

Governor Edgar argued that to be successful, politically, in Illinois you have to appeal to more than just your party. He said that underscores “Dillard’s ability to reach across and pick up some Democrats on issues that are important to Republicans,” and put together a winning coalition and “that’s the type of leadership we need.”

Is Dillard looking in the rearview mirror?

As to whether Dillard is focusing on the past with Edgar’s endorsement, Edgar said the only question is: "Did things work yesterday and if they did maybe they might work tomorrow because what we’re doing today is surely not working."

Did Governor Edgar raise taxes?

Governor Edgar defended his actions in 1991, saying he didn’t raise taxes, he just made the temporary income tax permanent. So, Gov. Edgar argued, by making the income tax change permanent, they “just didn’t make the hole any deeper.”

Can Senator Dillard be Governor No?

Edgar said that they cut spending considerably in the first few years he was Governor and they laid people off because “we just couldn’t afford it.”

Edgar said, for 2011, “[We] need someone who can cut spending and say no, and I know Kirk got a lot of experience listening to me say no a lot because that’s all I did for the first few years,” as a Governor.

Did Gov. Edgar make calls for Gov. Quinn?

Edgar was “sympathetic to Quinn’s delimma earlier this year trying to put together a budget that balanced,” but “he did not call Republicans and say they should vote for a tax increase," as reported in the media. Instead, Gov.Edgar said he told Gov. Quinn “You need to talk to the Republican leaders and when I called some Republicans to see what they thought, they said the same thing I did.” Some Republicans told Edgar that Gov. Quinn should “talk to Tom Cross, there might be some help there,” and Edgar passed that on to Gov. Quinn, but he doesn't know if Quinn ever followed up with Cross.

Does Gov. Edgar unequivocally oppose an income or sales tax increase?

When asked by this reporter if he would unequivocally oppose an increase in the income or sales tax now, Gov. Edgar said “anyone who would say that “is being irresponsible or they just don’t understand.” Gov Edgar emphasized, “you have to get behind the desk and look at the books," before you say what you will do.

Gov Edgar said, “The first solution has got to be cuts and also a willingness to say no.” You might at some point have to look at tax increases, but if you look at ‘raising taxes” first thing, there aren’t going to be any cuts…and if you come to that point, you might have to consider that. So, said Edgar, “It wouild be a mistake to say categorically, absolutely no [to a tax increase down the road].

Does Senator Dillard unequivocally oppose an income or sales tax increase?

As to whether he agrees with the above, Senator Dillard said, “you go through the budget and make a lot of tough decisions, make a lot of cuts and you re-prioritize state expenditures…. You have private sector individuals help you go thru that budget and you grow the economy.”

Dillard wouldn’t unequivocally rule out an income tax increase if he becomes Governor. He said, “I think you have to keep every option open but I think there are other options than looking at tax increases.”

Does Dillard think of himself as a conservative or moderate?

When this reporter asked Senator Dillard if he was a conservative or a moderate, Dillard said, “Obviously I am a fiscal conservative and I think on social issues, it depends on the issue but I am a conservative, Jeff. You know I have supported Pro-Life causes and I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment.”

What is Dillard running on?

Dillard said he is running on his unique experience: (1) under Edgar, as his Chief of Staff; (2) as a state senator, Dillard said he led on ethics; and (3) he has strong downstate roots. Senator Dillard argued, “We need transformational leadership,” and he said he would give the state that. Dillard said he would be a “Good bridge to the future.”

Stu Levine and Jim Ryan

Asked by this reporter if Jim Ryan’s prior relationship with Stu Levine would be an issue if Jim gets in the race, Senator Dillard said he would let others decide that.

Too many Gubernatorial candidates from DuPage?

When this reporter asked if three people from DuPage County (Jim Ryan, Schillerstrom and Dillard) split up the DuPage vote too much for any of them to win the Primary, Dillard argued he is a statewide candidate and that he thinks he runs strongly in every area, geographically, in the state of Illinois. Dillard said he is not a regional candidate. And, that essentially was Senator Kirk Dillard’s closing argument as that was the last answer to the last question at yesterday’s press conference.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page , and the show with 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Cadigan will soon be streaming from this YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Getting to know Bill Cadigan, Candidate in the IL 10th CD Republican Primary

2009-10-12T22:42:00.006-05:00

Jeff Berkowitz: …Folks, this is a good example because now you know something about [10th CD candidate] Bill Cadigan and how he thinks and how he approaches issues. I say that as a compliment… you couldn’t have learned that from [his] website. You can’t learn that from [10th CD candidate] Dick Green by going to his website and Dick Green’s not here. So, unless he comes here, how are you going to know him? Unless [10th CD Candidate] Bob Dold comes here, how are going to know him? State Rep. Beth Coulson says she’s coming here, so [you'll get to know her when she’s here in November].
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Jeff Berkowitz:… It’s about you. Dick Green, if you are not here, you’re not disrespecting Berkowitz, you’re disrespecting the voters in the 10th CD. And, people outside [the District] want to know you…because they might be signing a check. They might be doing that for Bob Dold. You get the point? It’s about democracy.
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Jeff Berkowitz: … [B]ailouts, you would have voted yes or no on the 700 billion dollar bailout that the Bush Administration proposed?

Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka, 10th CD Republican Primary candidate): I would have voted no… and it’s interesting…one of the things that you do have in the 10th CD is a lot of people who do work in the financial services industry and some bright minds that you can avail yourself of and …I think that the bailout plan just covered up for a lot of bad conduct and bad actions taken at the highest level.
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Jeff Berkowitz: …That’s the problem when you don’t have the [candidate] here, but I think Bob] Dold said [in a telephone interview] he would have supported [the 700 billion dollar] bailout, as proposed. You would have voted no on that.

Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka): I would have.

Jeff Berkowitz: That’s a difference. Dick Green? We don’t know. We’ll find out from Rep. Coulson [when she is here]. Stimulus. You would have voted yes on that 800 billion dollar stimulus?

Bill Cadigan: I would have voted no against that, too…what we’re seeing is that the money’s not being spent. I was with a group of contractors a few weeks ago- the people that you would have thought the money would have made its way to by now so they could put people to work and start working on projects in the community.

Jeff Berkowitz: It’s not working?

Bill Cadigan: No, it’s not.

Jeff Berkowitz: So you certainly wouldn’t go for a second stimulus?

Bill Cadigan: No, absolutely not. I think the Administration oversold that as …a panacea for the economy that would prevent us from reaching the 10% unemployment that we are nudging up against now—
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Jeff Berkowitz: …I very much want to thank our guest, Bill Cadigan, who is running for Congress in the 10th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary…He is obviously not afraid to speak out…We’ve had on [the show] on the Democratic side, State Rep. Julie Hamos—she is not afraid to come on the show, we expect her to be coming back. [Democrat] Dan Seals? We haven’t seen him in three years, so, Dan, we hope you will come on and let the Democratic voters know what you think. Abortion, you would be….
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Excerpted from Public Affairs, recorded on October 11, 2010. For more about Bill Cadigan, 10th CD Republican Primary Candidate, and this week's Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule of the "Public Affairs," show with Bill Cadigan, please go here.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page , and the show with 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Cadigan will soon be streaming from this YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Better than Chris Wallace w/ Governors Granholm and Daniels: Berkowitz w/10th CD candidate Cadigan on War and the Economy; Cable and soon streaming

2009-10-12T18:34:00.010-05:00

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The "Public Affairs," show featuring attorney Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka), 10th CD Republican Primary candidate, is airing this week (Week of Oct. 12) in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot. The suburban airing schedule for Public Affairs is included, below.
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10th Cong. Dist. Candidate Bill Cadigan worked for, volunteered for and ran the campaign for Cong. John Porter (R-10th CD) at various times . Cong. Porter served the 10th CD for the 21 years preceding the tenure of the current occupant of that office, 9th year Congressman Mark Steven Kirk (R-Highland Park, 10th CD).

Attorney Cadigan has been endorsed for the 10th CD seat by reformer, former State Senator Steve Rauschenberger (R-Elgin) and Chairman of the Illinois Reform Commission, Pat Collins, the former Assistant U. S. Attorney who led the prosecution under Patrick Fitzgerald of Governor George Ryan for public corruption. Bill Cadigan, himself, is a former prosecutor in the State's Attorney of Cook County office.
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The show with 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Bill Cadigan includes a far ranging discussion of domestic and foreign policy issues with show host and executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz. The show also touches on the significance of two of the 10th CD major Republican candidates (Bill Cadigan and State Rep. Beth Coulson) committing to appear on "Public Affairs," and two of the major Republican candidates (Dick Green and Bob Dold) not committing to appear on "Public Affairs." The show also touches on the significance of 10th CD major Democratic candidate State Rep. Julie Hamos choosing to appear on Public Affairs and of 10th CD major Democratic candidate Dan Seals declining to do so.
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The Chicago Metro suburban episode of "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," airs on:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.

and Tuesday night at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and Tuesday night at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
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The Public Affairs show featuring 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Bill Cadigan also airs on Monday night (Oct. 19) throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 and in Aurora and surrounding areas on ACTV-10 on that same night at 7:30 pm and on Tuesday and Wednesday of that week at 3:30 pm on ACTV-10.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page , and the show with 10th CD Republican Primary candidate Cadigan will soon be streaming from this YouTube page. *********************************************************************

Better than Conaty and Placko w/ Cong. Kirk:Berkowitz w/ 14th CD Republican Candidate Sen.Randy Hultgren on War,bailouts and vouchers;Cable&Streaming

2009-10-12T17:12:00.009-05:00

Randy Hultgren, State Senator (R-Winfield) and 14th CD Republican Primary candidate: …I think [school] vouchers is a term that is so loaded but again if we can get parental choice— [Watch the show w/Sen. Hultgren]

Jeff Berkowitz: So…if I call them scholarships, then you are okay [with them]?

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Sen. Randy Hultgren: Well, I have heard stories. I don’t know for sure but I know [Cong. Bill Foster (D-14th CD)] is very tied in with unions and unions play a great role but when they become coercive, which they do…I think that’s where it goes overboard…in this type of thing it goes too far …it’s more than persuasion…
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Jeff Berkowitz: Personal disclosure, transparency-- would you release your tax returns?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: I would, kind of boring.
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The "Public Affairs," show featuring State Senator Randy Hultgren (R-Winfield), Candidate in the 2010 14th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary and a member of the General Assembly for the last eleven years, is airing: (1) throughout the City of Chicago tonight, Oct. 12, at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and (2) on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The program also airs at 3:30 pm tomorrow and Wednesday in Aurora and surrounding areas[These are additional regular slots for Public Affairs in Aurora]. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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Watch the show with Sen. Hultgren on your computer.
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School vouchers, school choice?

Randy Hultgren, State Senator (R-Winfield) and 14th CD Republican Primary candidate: …I think [school] vouchers is a term that is so loaded but again if we can get parental choice—

Jeff Berkowitz: So…if I call them scholarships, then you are okay [with them]?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: Again, I want to see how it looks, but the idea of giving parents the ability to teach their kids, that’s what I want to support.

Free Trade?

Jeff Berkowitz: Free trade, NAFTA, CAFTA,Yes or no?...would you have supported NAFTA and CAFTA?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: I think so, yes.

Card Check: taking away the right to a secret ballot?

Jeff Berkowitz: The so-called Employee Free Choice Act, some people call it Card Check—you know, the union person stands outside the Hall and says please sign this card—maybe he doesn’t say please, and if you sign it and he gets a certain number of authorizations, then that proposed union gets certified. Some people would say you’re giving up—the employees are giving up the secret ballot—do you favor that?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: I am opposed to that.

Jeff Berkowitz: Do you know what Cong. Bill Foster (D, 14th CD) thinks about that?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: Well, I have heard stories. I don’t know for sure but I know he is very tied in with unions and unions play a great role but when they become coercive, which they do…I think that’s where it goes overboard…in this type of thing it goes too far …it’s more than persuasion…

Disclosing tax returns?

Jeff Berkowitz: Personal disclosure, transparency-- would you release your tax returns?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: I would, kind of boring.

Jeff Berkowitz: Have you?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: I haven’t yet, so—

Jeff Berkowitz: But, if I call up next week, you would release them to me and any other members of media.

Sen. Randy Hultgren: Yeah, I would like …
Disclosing net worth?

Jeff Berkowitz: Your net worth, what is it approximately?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: I’m not worth very much, I’ve been a public servant—

Jeff Berkowitz: Ballpark?

Sen. Randy Hultgren: …I think probably $300,000- $400,000, depending on how the house—our house is our main asset…
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For an additional partial transcript of tonight’s show, please go here.
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This week’s “Public Affairs,” show in the Chicago Metro North and Northwest suburbs features Bill Cadigan (R-Winnetka), running in the 10th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary. For a Public Affairs Chicago Metro airing schedule, please go here.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 112 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . *********************************************************************

Tom Roeser slams Obama for the wrong reasons and falls for Mike Huckabee—the wrong man for the Republican Party for 2012

2009-10-08T04:44:00.015-05:00

Roeser’s 2005 flirtations with Senator Bill Brady

My good friend Tom Roeser is at it again. He does this every once in a while, falling head over heels, temporarily, for some pol. Four years ago, about this time of the year, it was then Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Bill Brady and his “Irish Catholicism and… 12,000 watt smile,” that won a so-called “Conservative Summit.” Tom ultimately tires of the pol, as he did a while ago, with Brady, and reiterated that dissatisfaction recently, calling Sen. Brady “light as a Panama Hat.”

Roeser falls for Mike Huckabee

Today’s flavor of the moment for Roeser is Mike Huckabee. Tom was wowed by his “conversational, witty, brilliant,” talk show skills and his “strong base on the social issues.” For Tom, that seems to mean Huckabee, with ten years as a Governor of Arkansas, is less risky for movement conservatives than someone like Gov. Pawlenty [R-MN], who “seems far less experienced,” or former Massachusetts Gov. Romney who is “too smooth,” has gone through “too many contortions…to be credible.”

Roeser gets Obama wrong

And, according to Roeser, the nation is now ready for Huckabee because it has been “scared silly by Obama.” And “scared out of their wits by Obama.” Tom lists a number of his grievances of Obama and concludes Obama:

With his speeches… is coming very close to the caricature of Algonquin J. Calhoun, the fast-talking lawyer on radio and TV’s old Amos `n Andy…someone who can stretch definitions beyond the breaking point. [For a contra view to that of Roeser and a collection of criticisms of Roeser on "Obama, race and the media," see here].

The trouble with Tom’s analysis is that it starts with the proposition that if Obama differs with Tom—or me, for that matter—Obama must be stupid (or worse) and is probably quickly becoming less popular than George W. Bush, meaning there is a great opening in the country for someone like Huckabee, whose views (on many matters) and style differ greatly from President Obama.

Disagreeing without becoming disagreeable

But, people can differ with each other and still be plenty smart. I differ with Tom Roeser and Barack Obama on many things but I don’t think either is stupid. Far from it. I should be “so stupid.” As to Obama’s popularity, his approval minus disapproval margin has tumbled from about 40% at the start of his Presidency to about 11 %, but Obama is still plenty popular, even if more so than many of his policies.

And, many of Tom’s conclusions about his Obama grievances are simply premature. For example, when Tom asserts that America gave up, to please the Russians, the land based missile shield in Eastern Europe for nothing, we just don’t know that yet. There may have been a tacit deal for the Russians to help the U. S. with Iran. And, they may do so. We’ll see. But calling Obama another Neville Chamberlain, as Roeser does, based on the above, is simply not warranted by the facts.

Writing about Obama in bad taste

Analogizing Obama’s speeches to the caricature of an Amos and Andy character is not close to reality. Further, it is in bad taste and damages the credibility of Roeser, not Obama.

What President Obama has done wrong- doubling down on President Bush.

But the worst part of Roeser’s analysis is that it completely misjudges Huckabee and his competency to be the standard bearer for conservatives in 2012. If President Obama has gone wrong, it is on economics. It is that he agreed with Bush on the 700 Billion dollar financial sector bailout and the bailouts of AIG, etc. It is that he helped engineer a 1.4 trillion dollar 2009 federal budget deficit. It is the 800 billion dollar stimulus, which had little if any stimulus. It is the 9.8 % unemployment rate. It is the fact that these problems can only be cured by a sharp drop in federal spending and a sharp drop in tax rates, especially marginal rates of taxation on income and capital gains tax rates.

In short, many, but not all, of Obama’s economics policy mistakes come from his “doubling down,” on President Bush’s, Treasury Secretary Paulson's and Fed Chief Bernanke’s bail out policies. Unfortunately, Obama appears likely to let the Bush tax cuts expire in 2010-- and the Bush Tax cuts are the policies that Bush got right. [Watch Art Laffer and Steve Moore on these issue].

Bernanke: the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Moreover, Obama unfortunately compounded Bush’s mistake by re-appointing Bernanke, the Princeton educator and MIT trained economist, to another four-year term as Federal Reserve Chairman... If ever the country needed a University of Chicago trained economist, it is now. Too bad Presidents Bush and Obama never took a course in economics from Milton Friedman, the greatest economist of the 20th Century, or from anyone in the University of Chicago economics department. How different things would be. As we say, ideas have consequences.

Huckabee: a bad choice for Republicans

In light of the above, it is hard to think of anyone worse than Huckabee as a 2012 Presidential candidate. The sad fact about Huckabee’s “experience” as Governor in Arkansas is that he was a tax raiser, not a tax cutter. He was a spender as a Governor, not someone as Roeser suggests who simply spoke of increased spending in 2008 to offset his socially conservative stances.

It’s the Economy, Stupid

In short, Tom, with all due respect, in 2010, as Bill Clinton said in 1992,“it’s the Economy stupid.” And, on the economy, Mike Huckabee is as wrong as wrong can be.

Cap and Tax

Also, Tom, you have ripped Cong. Mark Kirk (R-IL, 10th CD) for voting for Cap and Trade. And, rightfully so. But, your boy, Mike Huckabee, along with John McCain, was for Cap and Trade. On morality grounds, no less. So, if you are going to rip Kirk, you had best rip Huck. Fair is fair.

Why God put Republicans on this earth

But, most importantly, as the late Bob Novak said repeatedly, “God put Republicans on this earth to cut taxes.” If the Republicans are going to come back in 2010 and 2012, they had best start migrating toward conservatives who believe in and have a record of cutting income and capital gains tax rates, not raising them.

That dog won’t hunt

Your boy, Huckabee, might have given a Hell of a speech. I don’t know. I wasn’t there. My good friend, Senator and 2010 Republican Gubernatorial Primary canidate Kirk Dillard, didn’t invite this journalist to be his guest at the show in Rosemont. [Hell, this journalist can’t even get guv candidate Dillard out to do his TV show,"Public Affairs," even though Dillard promised him four months ago he would do so]. No matter how good Huck’s speech was, his ten years as Governor were not good economics and they were not good for taxpayers. Mike Huckabee for President? Sorry, Tom. That dog won’t hunt. Cornpone, or not cornpone.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
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More than 100 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .

Better than Bret Baier w/Brit Hume: Berkowitz w/14th CD candidate Randy Hultgren on bailouts and Afghanistan; Cable and now Streaming

2009-10-06T16:46:00.006-05:00

Jeff Berkowitz:…so you would have been against the bailouts, you would have been against the stimulus. Is there a proposal coming from you and other Republicans that you would have done in place [of those programs] or would you have just said let the natural forces work their way out and things would get better?
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State Sen. and 14th CD Candidate Randy Hultgren [R-Winfield]: Both of those guys…I like them. I have enjoyed working with them out on the campaign trail, talking with them. What separates me is the service I’ve already provided on the County Board and as a State Representative and as a State Senator for that District. And, I represent a fair amount of that Kane County and DuPage County area of the 14th Cong. District…and they have seen that I am there representing them. And I think that’s the biggest problem right now in the 14th Cong. District is that there is a feeling by all of us-- I’m a constituent there-- and I just feel like my congressman [Bill Foster] isn’t responding to us. [Watch the show with Sen. Hultgren]
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The "Public Affairs," show featuring Randy Hultgren, 14th Cong. Dist. Candidate and State Senator (R-Winfield) is airing this week (Week of Oct. 5) in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot. The Suburban airing schedule is included, below.
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Watch the show with State Senator and 14th CD candidate Hultgren on your computer.
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Tuesday night (tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and Tuesday night(tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.

and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
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The show with 14th CD candidate and State Senator Randy Hultgren (R-Winfield) also airs this coming Monday night throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 and in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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The show with Senator Hultgren includes a far ranging discussion of domestic and foreign public policy issues with show host and executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz, including, among other topics, Senator Hultgren's views about healthcare insurance reform, more troops for Afghanistan, bailouts, economic stimulus program, free trade, card check, the Iraq War, the preformance of Congress and of Cong. Bill Foster (D-14th CD) and much, much more.
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700 Billion dollar Bailout

Randy Hultgren, State Senator [R-Winfield] and 14th CD Republican Primary candidate: …If I was there, I would have voted against the [700 billion dollar Bailout of the Financial Sector], I think it is just too much of a burden that we are passing onto future generations…
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An alternative Republican approach to bailouts and stimulus programs?

Jeff Berkowitz: …the economic stimulus, 800 billion dollars, you would have voted against that?

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: I think I probably would have.

Jeff Berkowitz:…so you would have been against the bailouts, you would have been against the stimulus. Is there a proposal coming from you and other Republicans that you would have done in place [of those programs] or would you have just said let the natural forces work their way out and things would get better?

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: …I think that’s a big part of it… having natural forces work…the free market is what has set us apart as a nation for so long and some times things need to fail. I don’t like that. It’s not a pleasant process to go through, but sometimes when we have Government Motors-

Let AIG fail?

Jeff Berkowitz:…you would have let AIG fail, that 85 billion dollar bailout?

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: I don’t know.

Jeff Berkowitz: You might have.

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: I might have. I would have looked at it.
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Referendum on Speaker Hastert?

Jeff Berkowitz: One of your [primary] opponents is Ethan Hastert

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: Hm hm.

Jeff Berkowitz: Son of Speaker Hastert.

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: Right.

Jeff Berkowitz: Former Speaker Hastert. Is this Republican Primary …going to become in part a referendum on Speaker Hastert and his performance at least during the last few years that he was there.

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: I hope not.

Looking backward or moving forward?

Jeff Berkowitz: Are you alluding to that because you said…you haven’t been happy with what the Republicans were doing in Congress?

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: …What I do allude to is what I think we need to be doing about issues right now and where we go in the future, recognizing that both parties have made misstates in the past but who is in the best position…and this is my argument as I talk to people out in the 14th CD about why I am the best candidate to win against Bill Foster next November…is that I can talk about …mistakes that are being made right now and how we move forward…my fear is that other candidates maybe wouldn’t be able to do that as well as I would.
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Hultgren? Hastert? Vargas? Foster?

Jeff Berkowitz: Are you referring to Ethan Hastert? Are you referring to Mark Vargas?...

State Sen. Randy Hultgren: Both of those guys…I like them. I have enjoyed working with them out on the campaign trail, talking with them. What separates me is the service I’ve already provided on the County Board and as a State Representative and as a State Senator for that District. And, I represent a fair amount of that Kane County and DuPage County area of the 14th Cong. District…and they have seen that I am there representing them. And I think that’s the biggest problem right now in the 14th Cong. District is that there is a feeling by all of us-- I’m a constituent there-- and I just feel like my congressman [Bill Foster] isn’t responding to us.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
**************************************************************
More than 100 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page .

Jim Ryan: A gubernatorial tax increase in your future?

2009-10-06T03:47:00.007-05:00

Jeff Berkowitz: Implicitly, you support the notion of a 5.5 billion dollar net increase in taxes, right?

Jim Ryan: Right. In principle, I support HB 750, right.
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Jim Ryan to join Gov race?

As Yogi Berra said, it’s Déjà Vu all over again. Ex-Gov candidate Jim Ryan is reportedly considering joining the current six candidate contest for the Republican nomination for Governor.

Competitors for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2010.

Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), who is thought to be the frontrunner for the 2010 race, is a refugee from the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary: 3rd place finish (with 20%) among four candidates. Andy McKenna, Jr., State GOP chairman for almost the last five years, recently entered the field. McKenna is thought to have sufficient wealth and fundraising ability to give Brady a run for his money, so to speak. McKenna, a refugee from the 2004 U. S. Senate Primary, came in 4th place out of 4 major candidates in that race, after spending more than two million dollars of his own money and another two million dollars from his network of wealthy friends to get 14 % of the vote. Jim Ryan retired from politics after losing to Rod Blagojevich in the 2002 gubernatorial race, 52% to 45%.

Rounding out the field is political consultant and pundit Dan Proft, State Senator Kirk Dillard(R-Westmont), DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom and wealthy, retired businessman Adam Andrzejewski.

Assessing Jim Ryan as a 2010 Gov candidate

Jim Ryan brings to the race some positives, a medium size negative and some very large negatives.

The Positives

For starters, Jim Ryan has a history of great personal integrity and character, which has been tested and has survived personal and family disease and family suicide. When he went up against Blagojevich, Ryan emerged with his dignity intact, if not a victory. Facing distortions of his record by Blagojevich during a WTTW debate, an indigant Jim Ryan appeared ready to throw a roundhouse right. Instead, he glared at Blago and said, “Have you no shame.” It was an effective response for the night, if not the campaign.

The medium-size negative

Although being consistently Pro-Life in advocacy, some pro-Lifers criticized Jim Ryan in 2002 for appearing to apologize for his pro-Life views. Former State Senator Pat O’Malley, who came in second of three candidates in the 2002 gubernatorial primary with 29 % to Ryan’s 44%, accused Jim Ryan of not doing enough as the State’s two-term Attorney General to stop live birth abortions at hospitals.

Ryan's large negatives for the Gov race

On the very negative side, especially for the Republican Primary, would be Jim Ryan’s expressed views to this journalist about favoring a massive increase in the income tax, only partially offset by property tax reductions. In other words, Jim Ryan favors [or, at least did about two years ago] the approximately six billion dollar net increase in state taxes, aka a tax swap, initially authored by Jim Ryan's current colleague, Ralph Martire, and promoted by Rev. and State Senator James Meeks.

And, there is the name-Ryan. A lot of voters, in 2002, thought Jim Ryan was related to George Ryan, the then unpopular, but not yet indicted, Governor. Those same voters might still think Jim is related to George, who is now doing time in an Indiana federal prison for public corruption convictions.
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Jim Ryan (Cont): “I did support HB750, [although] I think it is a moot issue…” “I think the idea of some permanent revenue stream for education and ultimately for health care is very important for our state and I do think we have a revenue problem…” “We still have…probably over a three billion dollar budget deficit again in the State…”
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Jeff Berkowitz: As a member of the [Center for Tax and Budget Accountability] Board and I realize you are saying that legislation doesn’t generally go thru exactly as proposed, if somebody says to you that Board is supporting HB 750-

Jim Ryan: I am comfortable saying I support it.

Jeff Berkowitz: Implicitly, you support the notion of a 5.5 billion dollar net increase in taxes, right?

Jim Ryan: Right. In principle, I support HB 750, right.
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Jeff Berkowitz phone interview with former Attorney General Jim Ryan, June 19, 2007, go here to read more about Ralph Martire, the Center for Taz and Budget Accountability's Board and Jim Ryan's role on that Board. .
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Better than Oprah w/ Mayor Daley in Copenhagen: Berkowitz w/Terry O'Brien; Cable and Streaming

2009-10-05T16:28:00.013-05:00

Jeff Berkowitz: Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Dorothy Brown, she’s running [for Cook County Board President], see any daylight between your views on taxes and hers?

Terry O’Brien [Candidate for Cook County Board President]: She has also said she’s going to gradually phase it out [the Stroger increase in the County sales tax], rather than phase it out immediately, so, I mean, I don’t know what they’re seeing and then— [Watch show w/ O’Brien here].
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Jeff Berkowitz: And yet…Cong. Davis ...lectured me that he wouldn’t do anything that’s going to cause a fracturing… of the empowerment of the African-American community because he would point out that there are...
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The "Public Affairs," show featuring Terry O’Brien, Candidate for Cook County Board President in the 2010 Demcratic Primary and President of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for the last 13 years, is airing: (1) throughout the City of Chicago tonight, Oct. 5, at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and (2) on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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Watch the show with Terry O’Brien on your computer.
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O'Brien and Brown

Jeff Berkowitz: Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Dorothy Brown, she’s running [for Cook County Board President], see any daylight between your views on taxes and hers?

Terry O’Brien [Candidate for Cook County Board President]: She has also said she’s going to gradually phase it out [the Stroger increase in the County sales tax], rather than phase it out immediately, so, I mean, I don’t know what they’re seeing and then—

O'Brien and Danny Davis

Jeff Berkowitz: Cong. Danny Davis, see any daylight—he’s African-American; Dorothy Brown’s African-American. The dispute between you and Brown, not based on race, right?

Terry O’Brien: No.

Jeff Berkowitz: What about Cong. Danny Davis [D-Chicago, 7th CD]? Any daylight between him and you on taxes?

Terry O’Brien: Danny’s mentioned he hasn’t had enough information to make a decision on what he wants to do—

Jeff Berkowitz: So, he’s not even saying he’ll definitely—

Terry O’Brien: Repeal it or—

Jeff Berkowitz: I’ve heard him say on a radio show that I did on WVON that he couldn’t answer that question when I said, what if you were there, would you have supported that increase in the tax? He said because so many other things would have been different-- he couldn’t answer that.
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Not a racial issue

Jeff Berkowitz: It’s not a racial issue between you and Danny Davis.

Terry O’Brien: No. Danny and I have worked together on bringing revenue to the District. From the federal level.

Jeff Berkowitz: To which District?

Terry O’Brien: To the Metropolitan Reclamation Water District. We’re constructing this tunnel and…
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Fracturing the empowerment of the African-American Community

Jeff Berkowitz: And yet…Cong. Davis ...lectured me that he wouldn’t do anything that’s going to cause a fracturing… of the empowerment of the African-American community because he would point out that there are four African-American candidates running for Cook County Board President [in the Democratic Primary] and there’s only one candidate who’s white, so although you’ve said no racial issues, you would admit there’s a lot of ethnic identity that goes on in any case, whether it’s race, religion or so forth, right?

Terry O’Brien: I wouldn’t.

Jeff Berkowitz: You’re Irish?

Terry O’Brien: I’m Irish, yeah.

Jeff Berkowitz: Irish Catholic?

Terry O’Brien: Irish Catholic.

Jeff Berkowitz: Not to pick on Irish Catholic but…I hear the best name on a ballot in general in Cook County is what? An Irish name, right. Especially for judges. I think there have been people who have been Jewish—who have changed their name-- just to have that Irish name on the ballot, running for judge.

Terry O’Brien: I know one.
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For additional partial transcripts of tonight’s show, links to a discussion of Race, Politics, connections between the 7th CD race and the Cook County Board President's race in the Democratic primary and links to shows with the Democratic Primary Cook County Board President candidates, please go here.
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Next week’s “Public Affairs,” show in the Cities of Chicago, Aurora and Rockford features State Senator Randy Hultgren (R-Winfield), running in the 14th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary. Watch show with Senator Hultgren. The show w/ Senator Hultgren is also airing in the Chicago Metro Suburbs on "Public Affairs," this week. For a Public Affairs Chicago Metro airing schedule, please go here.
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 110 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . *********************************************************************

Senator Steve Rauschenberger seeks to return to Springfield

2009-10-01T18:46:00.006-05:00

Former Republican State Senator Steve Rauschenberger (Elgin) is mounting a comeback to re-take the seat (22nd) he gave up in 2006 to run, unsuccessfully, for his party's nomination for Lt. Gov. He makes the run official when he announces tomorrow from Republican Party Headquarters at 2:00 pm in Elgin. Rauschenberger came into the General Assembly in 1992 as part of the Fab 5 and left in 2006 with the reputation as the most knowledgeable person in Springfield about the Illinois Budget. In the intervening years, that reputation, if anything, has only gotten better. With the Democratic Party in the State Senate holding a healthy 37-22 majority lead, Senate Republican leader Radogno (Lemont) is no doubt extremely happy to see Rauschenberger return to the fray.

The most perceptive man Tom Roeser knows-- Tom Roeser?

2009-10-01T04:05:00.010-05:00

My good friend, Tom Roeser, had a cute little piece yesterday in the Chicago Daily Observer (“CDO”), an online daily publication he runs with John Powers [also a friend of mine], a Wilmette entrepreneur who appears to struggle to keep his libertarian and Catholic beliefs at peace with each other. Roeser, of course, is a strong traditional conservative whose Catholic beliefs appear to fit more easily together with his other views than the sometimes competing views of his colleague-- Powers.

Roeser, Powers and their intellectual allies appear frequently in the CDO to bash President Obama, Democrats and others who they see as hostile to traditional values, Christianity and to a lesser extent, free markets and the libertarian views of Powers. [As a disclaimer, I should note that a few of my columns have appeared in the CDO, but generally my non-partisan style and secular views do not seem to mesh with the ethos of the CDO].

However, this time around, Roeser decided to turn his turrets not on President Obama and other Democrats, but on some Republicans. Republicans in Illinois are noted for their famous circular firing squads.

Roeser’s fictitious friend

The piece by Roeser is peculiar in that he tells readers it contains the views of a “longtime Illinois GOP strategist…the most perceptive man I know… who didn’t want to be quoted.” That could be but most of what Tom describes as the views of the GOP strategist sounds a lot like the views of, well—Tom Roeser.

Bashing McKenna, Jr.

For starters, Tom bashes Andy McKenna, Jr. as having no ideas, no skills, no accomplishments, no charisma, etc. Of course, those have been the views of Roeser from the get go with Andy. On his radio program, Political Shoot-out [on which this journalist has been a frequent guest], Tom first spoke of McKenna, Jr. as being someone he met at a party who seemed so nervous “that he couldn’t keep his knees from knocking.”

Bashing Topinka

Then Tom bashes former State Treasurer, 2006 Gov Candidate, State GOP Chair and now Comptroller candidate Judy Baar Topinka as lacking in intellectual substance, political skill, political philosophy, leadership skills, smarts—in short, there is not too much there to like. Further, Topinka failed to endorse Senator Peter Fitzgerald’s re-election, circa 2002, and then denied it, a mortal sin in Roeser's world.

Bashing Bill Brady

On a roll, Roeser turns next to bash Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) as shallow and “lighter than a Panama hat,” a phrase Roeser has used in the past to bash Brady on his radio show. Yet Roeser continues to cast these attacks as coming from his fictitious “longtime Illinois GOP strategist.”

Further, Roeser goes after Brady for splitting the conservative vote for Governor in 2006 with Oberweis, making Topinka the Republican nominee for Governor. Along the way, Roeser analogizes Brady to Robert Redford’s Bill McKay in ”The Candidate,” telling us that Brady is “too handsome, too dumb.”

Let the political market work its magic

Let’s turn to an assessment of Roeser’s assessments. Yes, one could support many of the criticisms of McKenna. But, let’s see how he does as a Gov candidate. Maybe he has learned something from his 2004 Senate Primary loss and his difficulties as State GOP Chair. As for Topinka, let her run for Comptroller. She can’t do much harm in that position and perhaps a stronger candidate will challenge her.

Are there many bright pols?

Brady? He’s been on my show a number of times. No Einstein, but I’m not sure he is any less bright than most of the other 600 pols, Republican and Democratic, who have graced the set of “Public Affairs.”

Roeser’s political love affairs

Tom seems to have fallen in love with State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) and Bob Schillerstrom, DuPage County Board Chairman. Yes, Kirk Dillard is a charming guy with a lot of experience under Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar, and the last 15 years, or so, as a State Senator. And, admittedly, Dillard is a smart guy who seems to work well with Democrats- some would say “Too well.” And, State Senator Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora), who now supports Dillard effusively, just a few years ago accused Dillard of “stabbing the Republican Senate caucus in the back.” So, Senator Dillard has some flaws worth considering.

As to Schillerstrom, it is a little harder to see what accomplishments have so impressed Tom to convince him that we would be “lucky to have Bob as our governor.” But, be that as it may, we’ll let the political market sort that out.

Andrzejewski- Keep him in the mix?

Tom seems to dismiss Adam Andrzejewski, a very successful, self-made, young businessman with a net worth of more than ten million dollars, as a gubernatorial candidate because he has no experience in government. Well, yes, it would be nice if Adam knew how many state reps and state senators were in the General Assembly, but it is not clear he couldn’t turn out better than the Republican and Democratic alternatives.

Proft- Keep him in the mix?

Tom dismisses Dan Proft because of his past “contemporaneous,” work for ultra-conservative Alan Keyes and ultra-moderate Beth Coulson and the fact of having worked for Cicero. Whatever you want to say about Keyes, Coulson and Cicero, it is not like Proft committed a crime. He was a political consultant and provided PR services for an unusual grouping of clients. For that, Roeser wants to banish Proft from Tom’s holy land? Proft also may have more good ideas about government than all the other candidates combined. Keep Dan in the mix.

Cong. Kirk, any redeeming values?

As to the U. S. Senate Republican Primary, Roeser also laments the complete lack of conscience exhibited by and convictions held by Cong. Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park, 10th CD). But, Tom forgets, not too long ago, he himself introduced Mark Kirk at the City Club of Chicago and spoke quite highly of him, notwithstanding his socially moderate views. Yes, that may have been before Kirk disappointed Roeser and others by failing to support the Surge in Iraq and voting for Cap and Trade. But, let’s keep Kirk in the mix as the voters get to know conservative Pat Hughes and some of the second tier candidates, and get to know Kirk the Senate candidate.

Yes, Tom is depressed because although his fictitious GOP strategist predicts a win for Hughes in the general election over Democrat U. S. Senate candidate David Hoffman, he also predicts a win for gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady, in both the Primary and the General Election.

More or fewer primaries?

But, Tom, as no less an authority than Joe Morris, Illinois’ Mr. Conservative says, the Republican Party doesn’t need fewer contested primaries, it needs more. Let’s let the political market work its magic, even as we let the economic marketplace sort things out.

Why we play the game

And, as my good friend and Democratic Strategist, Pete Giangreco, always reminds me, we don’t necessarily know who is best or who will win—that’s why we play the game.

So, Tom, put your fictitious friend back in your mental closet, and let’s see if Dillard, Schillerstrom and Hughes are as good as you say they are. Let the games begin. After all, we do live in Chicago, or is it Copenhagen?
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
More than 110 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . *********************************************************************

Judge Mikva clarifies his prior decision not to endorse anyone in the IL 10th CD Democratic Primary. Could Judge Mikva reconsider? Why the confusion?

2009-09-30T01:15:00.015-05:00

Former Judge Ab Mikva said to Dan Seals: “Well, I endorsed you when Julie [Hamos] was not a candidate or even thinking about running and you have to treat it as a non-operative endorsement at this point.” So, what does that mean, Mikva said…
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Judge Abner Mikva confirmed yesterday, somewhat ironically during a press conference in which he endorsed, unequivocally, David Hoffman for the U. S. Senate in the Democratic Primary, that he was not going to endorse in the 10th CD Democratic Primary between the two leading candidates: State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston] [Watch here] and third time candidate Dan Seals[watch here, at about 9:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 23:00 into the program]. The former Illinois state legislator, 10th CD congressman, D.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge and White House counsel to President Clinton clarified, perhaps, how Seals might have misunderstood him and mistakenly announced recently that Mikva had endorsed Seals in his current quest to be the Democrats’ nominee in the 10th CD.

Judge Mikva endorsed Seals in his 2006 and 2008 runs in the 10th CD. And, as Ab Mikva responded to a question from this journalist yesterday, “Back in January, 2009 or whenever, [Seals] told me he was going to run again and he said, ‘Will you help me?’ and I said, ‘Of course.’” Mikva added, “At that time, Julie [Hamos] had not even indicated she was planning to run for the seat up there in congress.” Mikva elaborated:

Then, all of a sudden, Julie decided she wanted to [run in the 10th CD]. I go back a long, long way with her. Her husband [Former State Appellate Justice Alan Greiman] is my oldest political friend in Illinois. I have known Julie since she was first in public office and it became very uncomfortable for me, obviously, and when Seals called me and said ‘What about it?’ I said, ‘Well, I endorsed you when Julie was not a candidate or even thinking about running and you have to treat it as a non-operative endorsement at this point.’ So, what does that mean? I said, ‘Well, I don’t want to make a bad story for you by withdrawing my endorsement, but just understand I am not going to be doing anything in the campaign.’

And, [Dan Seals] misunderstood. And, his press release, in fairness to him—he tried to talk about the endorsement as if it had been in the past. But, obviously, it became an issue and I tried to make it clear that I was not endorsing him; I was trying not to be a factor in the campaign.

The moral to the story? When a former federal appellate judge tells you an endorsement “is non-operative,” that probably means you shouldn’t send out a fund raising letter touting that former judge’s endorsement. Because if you do, he is going to rule against you. Better to let “sleeping dogs lie.” What does that mean? Don’t try to make those “inoperative endorsements,” operative, Dan Seals.

And, that’s the final word on this story. How do I know? Because sometimes a recovering lawyer gets the final word. Even in Judge Mikva’s courtroom. Unless, of course, Judge Mikva changes his mind and decides to pick between old friends and his newer friend. Could that happen between now and Feb. 2, 2010? Although unlikely, it's possible. You never know, for sure, what will happen in the 10th CD. Just ask the current occupant of the seat, Cong. Mark “Cap and Trade” Kirk (R-Highland Park), who you might have thought would have been a likely casualty of the Democratic Tsunami in 2006 and then, for sure, knocked off by the Obama blitz in 2008. But, it just didn’t work out that way. Ask Dan Seals. Those predictions became "inoperative," a word Dan Seals is beginning to understand quite well.
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More than 110 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . *********************************************************************
Also posted on our YouTube page are two recent WVON 1690 AM Radio shows:

(1) an August 23, 2009 Voice of the People show with State Rep. (and 7th CD Dem Primary Candidate) LaShawn K. Ford, co-hosted by Jeff Berkowitz, with Cong. Danny K. Davis (Candidate for Cook County Board President in the Democratic Primary) and call ins. The show focuses on issues related to the Cook County Board President Democratic Primary.

(2) an August 30, 2009 Voice of the People show with State Rep. (and 7th CD Dem Primary Candidate) LaShawn K. Ford, co-hosted by Jeff Berkowitz, with, with Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft, ABC-7 Political Editor Charles Thomas , Terry O'Brien, President, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and Candidate for Cook County Board President in the Democratic Primary, and call ins. The show focuses on gubernatorial race issues, including state spending, tax, education and school choice; and Cook County Board President race issues of race, taxes and much more.
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