THE ILLINOIZE: A progressive bucks the establishment...Pritzker deflects on crime...Anne Burke
September 13, 2022
Good morning, Illinois.
I’m hosting the morning show today on WMAY in Springfield from 6am-9am. National security attorney Brad Moss tries to convince me why I should care about the Trump document investigation. Listen online now at www.wmay.com.
My Shaw Media column is on the bad environment for Illinois Republicans this fall.
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AFTER BUCKING SENATE DEMS, VENTURA WANTS “PROGRESSIVE” POLICY DIRECTION
Rachel Ventura wasn’t the chosen one.
The self described progressive with little fundraising prowess and a platform of raising taxes on the rich and stopping climate change was never supposed to defeat an establishment-backed candidate for the Illinois Senate.
Instead, the Will County Board member and trained mathematician from Joliet trounced her appointed opponent, Sen. Eric Mattson (D-Joliet), in the Joliet-based 43rd Senate District Democratic primary. The new 43rd stretches from rural southern Will County through Joliet and Lockport to parts of Bolingbrook, Romeoville, and Woodridge in DuPage County.
“I was cut two blocks out of the final district and a dozen people were asked to run against me,” Ventura said. “I don’t think they expected me to run. I think they expected me to run for congress again. So, there were absolutely some carrot and stick conversations that I should go run for this thing over there and not the Senate.”
Ventura gained notoriety for a 2020 run for congress, challenging incumbent Congressman Bill Foster (D-Naperville), running to the left of Foster, but falling by around 19-points. Ventura says the same day she decided not to run for congress again and on the same day former Sen. John Connor announced he wouldn’t seek re-election.
“It was definitely one of those moments feeling like one door closed and the other one opened,” she said.
Mattson, a Joliet firefighter, was recruited by the establishment for the seat and Mattson was eventually appointed to the seat when Connor resigned in May. Senate Democrats spent around $300,000 trying to elect Mattson. Union allies spent another $400,000 for Mattson.
“I don’t need the support of the party. I never did,” Ventura said. “I didn’t go into government to…go and do as I’m told. I want to see a change. I want to see government work for people. I want people to be proud that our tax dollars are serving us.”
Ventura says she has spoken to Senate President Don Harmon “multiple times” since the primary.
“We are working together,” she said. “We are going to move forward. We want to make sure our state is making the best decisions and that we’re supporting the candidates who believe in those things. So, there has been no hesitation from the Senate Dems.”
Ventura says Senate Democrats will be sending mailers on her behalf, but they will be paid for by Governor JB Pritzker’s $1 million donation to Senate Democrats and not any business or “corporate” PAC’s, though state campaign finance filings don’t differentiate between the two sources of funding.
Though labeled a progressive, Ventura says the public has a misrepresented view of what a progressive is.
“Progressives want to empower people to have the best job and the best life they can have,” she said. “One is a hand that says ‘we’ll help you get the things that you want, but you still have to work for those things.’ The other hand is feeling bad for people and giving them something and hoping for the best.”
Ventura is one of a handful of Democratic candidates this fall who toppled incumbent Democrat lawmakers by running to the left. Abdelnasser Rashid defeated Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside), Kevin Olcikal defeated Rep. Denise Wang Stoneback (D-Skokie), and Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison), lost her seat to progressive Norma Hernandez.
Ventura considers herself a progressive in the mold of FDR.
“Let’s fix our economy, let’s treat people with human rights and a lot of these other things can work themselves out.” she said. “[We should] prioritize planet and people and emphasize jobs and our communities. To me, those are middle of the road issues. Everybody pays in and everybody gets to use these services and we all live better lives because of it. Those aren’t extreme politics to me. I think that resonates very well in this district.”
Ventura says she wants to implement the new Clean Energy Jobs Act to create more union jobs and to make sure all coal plants in the state are shut down, including Prairie State Energy in southern Illinois. She wants to move toward clean energy jobs and having the infrastructure for them, including investing heavily in roads and bridges.
Ventura supports a new effort to create a graduated income tax.
“We’ve gotta bring in more revenue,” she said. “The rich have to pay their fair share.”
Ventura also supports a financial transactions tax on stocks, bonds, futures, and options, known as the “LaSalle Street Tax.” She says revenues would reduce pension debt and reduce the burden of property taxes to fund schools. She estimates the tax would bring in $10-12 billion per year.
Ventura knows there are varying positions on many of those and other issues, but says things won’t get better until politicians start respecting each other.
“One of the things that got me into politics was the need to have respectful leaders who legislate who legislate with their heart and their mind and take their constituents into consideration when making new laws and how it might impact [them], especially the working poor and our working class,” she said. “After a couple of conversations it was clear that we needed some new leadership in Springfield. We need to have people that aren’t going to be bought and paid for and are going to strengthen our middle class and turn our economy around.”
Ventura faces Republican Diane Harris, but the district is drawn heavily Democratic.
PRITZKER DEFLECTS ON BITING CRIME COMMERCIAL
Viewers of Sunday’s Chicago Bears game in the Chicago TV market saw a commercial featuring a shocking attack on a woman walking down the street in broad daylight.
The ad is run by radio host Dan Proft’s People Who Play By the Rules PAC, which is funded largely by billionaire conservative donor Richard Uihlein. The ad contains no music or speaking, just the sound of the woman screaming while attacked, as caught on a neighbor’s security camera.
In a statement announcing the new ad last week, the Proft-run PAC claimed “The ad speaks for itself.”
“It’s a terrible commercial,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference Monday. “They’ve chosen a particular crime in which there was a white woman who was the victim, and apparently, black perpetrators.”
Upon review of the video, it appears the criminals are wearing long sleeved hooded sweatshirts and face coverings and it is difficult to determine their race.
Pritzker implied the ad had racist connotations.
“That’s the ad they want people to see, particularly in the suburbs,” Pritzker said. “That’s part of the entire racial tinge of everything that’s being put out by that PAC.”
The Proft-run PAC was criticized last month by African American Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for allegedly “darkening” her complexion in an ad.
Though, Pritzker chose not to address the crime problems addressed in the ad.
“You wanna talk about crime? Let’s talk about crime,” Pritzker said before launching into an attack on his Republican opponent, Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), claiming Bailey wanted to “defund police” by voting against Democrat-written state budgets.
Pritzker claimed more state troopers and increased funding for crime labs that would “prevent violent crime.”
In a statement Monday night, Proft criticized Pritzker's deflection on the issue.
“That Pritzker is more concerned about racial profiles than he is about a woman being violently terrorized at the hands three men explains why Chicago and Illinois are both descending into lawlessness,” he said.
BURKE TO RETIRE FROM SUPREME COURT
Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke announced Monday she will retire December 1st and will be replaced by First District Appellate Justice Joy Cunningham.
In a statement announcing her retirement, Burke said she was “blessed” to serve sixteen years on the Supreme Court.
“The race has been run and it is time to pass the gavel to a successor,” Burke wrote.
Burke, 78, grew up on Chicago’s south side, graduated from Maria High School and began working with the Chicago Park District and Special Olympics. She didn’t return to college until later in life, graduating from DePaul University and the Chicago-Kent College of Law. She was 40 years old when she began her legal career.
She began serving on the Appellate Court in Chicago in 1995 and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2006.
“I have always believed that the nearly twelve years I spent as a justice of the Appellate Court and the sixteen years I have served on the Supreme Court, have been a continuation of my core desire to speak for those who have no voice of their own and to improve the lives of all of the citizens of the State,” Burke wrote. “I will remain forever grateful to the people of Chicago and the First Judicial District for granting me the opportunity to serve them and all the people of Illinois.”
Burke is married to indicted Chicago alderman Ed Burke, who faces a federal trial next year on racketeering, bribery and extortion charges. Anne Burke, who has been Chief Justice for three years, has not been connected to any alleged wrongdoing.
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