THE ILLINOIZE: Our talk with Gary Rabine...Any hope for one of the poorest places in Illinois?...School board elections get nasty...No "bridge" phase yet as numbers rise...Duckworth wanted to be Veep
March 30, 2021
Good morning.
I’ve continued to have a few folks from both sides (plus a couple in the media) throw stones at me for my prior work in party politics. Let me be clear about a few things:
I am a conservative and have worked mostly Republican campaigns (though I have worked for a few Democrats in local/county races). I have been honest and clear about this from the start and I have disclosed my prior jobs and relationships in our stories so you can make up your own mind.
Our site clearly identifies news and opinion pieces. When I write a story of a journalistic nature, I leave my politics at the door. I believe you’ve seen that here, here, here, here, and here. My plan is to hold every foot to the fire. I am hardly the first person to write both news and opinion.
My “agenda” for this site is not to help Republicans, help Democrats, hurt the Governor, or for vanity. I’m here because I was incensed that local media couldn’t care less about what was happening in state government and politics, and as someone with a background working as a political reporter and on political campaigns, I had a combination of backgrounds I felt could be helpful.
I know it’s going to be a fight. The Governor’s Press Secretary hasn’t answered an e-mailed question from me since December 10. Generally, if somebody doesn’t want to deal with the “new guy,” they just ignore my e-mail or call. Or, in some cases, they’ve just ignored our FOIA requests. But I don’t quit and won’t quit. You have a promise from me that I’ll always be doing my best to get the truth. I wouldn’t be investing my time, money, and earnings I could be doing getting PR business if this didn’t matter to me. I hope it matters to you, too.
If you like what we’re doing here, thank you. I hope you’ll click the share button down below and help spread the word. Depending on what happens this week, we may or may not have an edition of the newsletter on Friday. I assume most of you are lying on a chair by a pool in Destin right now anyway.
Let’s get to it.
OUR SIT DOWN WITH RABINE
The long-discussed, mostly confirmed flirtation with a race for Governor is formally announced today as suburban Chicago businessman Gary Rabine will rip off the Band Aid and launch his campaign.
I spoke with Rabine on Zoom last night ahead of today’s announcement and press conference. Rabine, 57, is clearly a smart and likeable guy, and likely more comfortable in work boots than wingtips.
While he’s identified many of the issues facing the state, pension debt, property taxes, balancing the budget, job creation, he’s a little light on detailed plans.
Rabine was a supporter of former President Donald Trump, even hosting a fundraiser on behalf of the 45th President. He knows Trump is a sensitive topic in a general election, but believes Trump’s economic record speaks for itself.
“The Trump administration was the best job creating presidency in my lifetime, maybe the history of our country,” Rabine said. “There’s nobody that brought jobs back to America like that administration did. I admire that. If I can do that, even 60% of that, per capita, in Illinois, we change our state. It’s a whole different place three or four years from now.”
You can watch the full 36:00 interview here.
For the record, we’ve requested interviews with the other two GOP candidates for Governor, Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) and former Sen. Paul Schimpf. Schimpf has agreed to an interview, but we haven’t settled on a date yet. Bailey’s campaign did not respond.
THEY’VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE
Maybe you’ve never heard of Pembroke Township.
The small settlement near Hopkins Park near the Indiana state line in Kankakee County is one of the poorest places in the United States.
My folks lived in Kankakee for many years and I even worked at WKAN-AM while in college, so I’m familiar with and was with then-Governor Rod Blagojevich the day he was in Pembroke (pronounced pem-BROOK) in 2003 promising mountains of state aid that never came.
Then-Governor George Ryan promised the area a prison, with sewer, gas, and jobs that come along with it. Blagojevich canceled it.
So when Governor JB Pritzker was in town to talk about Black farmers Monday, it probably didn't move the needle.
They’ve heard this song before.
Meanwhile, legislation proposed by Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Bourbonnais) would fund grants to help Nicor to build a natural gas line into the impoverished area was not discussed. Neither Haas or Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex), who represent Pembroke Township, were present at the media event.
SCHOOL RE-OPENING CONTROVERSIES TURN ELECTORAL
Municipal elections, like races for mayors, city councils, townships, and school boards are usually an afterthought in Illinois politics.
This year, though, the re-opening of schools among the COVID-19 pandemic has put those who serve on school boards at the center of focus in many communities.
A good friend ran for school board in a downstate community two years ago and I helped him out, ordering yard signs and buying a few digital ads for him. He spent more money out of his own pocket than he should have for a job that comes with no pay and makes nobody happy.
That was before Governor JB Pritzker punted the issue of re-opening to local school districts across the state.
The Tribune had a good story about the issues taking over the April 6 election, with a suburban focus, of course:
“Time is up for any incumbent running for their school board — and forget casting a vote for any candidate aligning with existing failing leadership,” Shannon Adcock, one of 11 candidates running for four seats on the District 204 board, told a large crowd at a recent rally in Naperville.
Adcock was one of several school board challengers who spoke at the rally, which attracted hundreds of parents, urging officials at nine suburban districts to reopen their schools full time.
Nick Giannasi, who’s running for the Plainfield District 202 board, told the crowd that April 6 would usher in what he described as a “community-changing” election.
“This is a lot bigger than COVID. This shows us the power that we have on these boards and we’ve gotten our community and parents to be more involved going forward,” Giannasi said.
The tricky thing here is that, in my experience, single issue candidates are often struggle to find their footing when the real work has to be done. Sure, they may get the schools re-opened, but what happens when they have a tax levy that forces them to raise property taxes or fire teachers? What about if a boiler goes out at a school in January and they don’t have the money to pay for it?
It’s one of the worst jobs in politics, and now the lens is firmly on school board members.
COVID NUMBERS RISING, NO “BRIDGE PHASE” YET
When Governor JB Pritzker announced his new “bridge phrase” two weeks ago, it looked accessible. The capacity limits for most retail businesses, offices, gyms, and salons will increase to 60%. The largest change would be allowing conventions up to 1,000 people if space permits.
The big goal was vaccinating 70% of seniors.
Yesterday, Illinois hit 69%, but the state won’t kick in the bridge phase as COVID infections and new hospitalizations are increasing around the state.
Friday, the Governor said there’s worry about the increased numbers.
“This is very concerning to us and it makes us take a pause here to evaluate these numbers,” Pritzker said. “What we want to do, most of all, is make sure is this a blip in the numbers or a short surge that’s taking place that will come back down, or is this something that could have some sustaining features to it? In which case, we want to be extra careful.”
DUCKWORTH WANTED VEEP
In cased you missed it, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth told USA Today she thought she was 50-50 at being picked as Joe Biden’s running mate last year. She also thought being born in Thailand to an American father and Thai Chinese mother would be a problem politically.
"A disappointment," Duckworth acknowledged. "I went all the way to the end. I had a 50-50 chance of being picked."
One concern was the potential for controversy over the fact she was born in Thailand. Most legal scholars say that as the child of an American parent, Duckworth would have met the constitutional requirement to be a "natural born citizen." The birthplace issue had arisen with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was born in Panama, and several other presidential contenders.
She knew opponents would have seized on questions over her birthplace, creating a distraction for the Biden campaign. That said, she doesn't rule out a presidential bid of her own down the road, one in which she could address that issue head on.
Maybe she’s building up interest for the book in her statement about running for President, but, its hard to imagine her as a serious presidential contender. She is a hero for her service and gave up more than most of us ever would. But, I’m able to separate her sacrifice from policy and to call her a leader on any policy or issue in the Senate is a bit of a stretch.
Duckworth’s new book “Every Day Is a Gift” is out today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy Birthday today to State Representative Avery Bourne. I met her when she interned with Rodney Davis’ campaign in 2012, and you knew she was going to do something big. Now she’s a major player in the GOP and not even 30. So, yeah, what did you do with your 20’s?
Tomorrow, State Senator Terri Bryant celebrates celebrates. Also, former State Representatives Chuck Jefferson, Bob Pritchard, and Josh Harms (an Iroquois County kid) celebrate tomorrow.
BEFORE WE GO…
Thank you again for being a dedicated reader of this newsletter. I’m so honored that you’ve chosen to take time out of your mornings to read our news and comments.
Keep up to date by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook. We also post news throughout the day on www.theillinoize.com. As always, reach out with questions and comments and complaints at patrick@theillinoize.com. If you have any suggestions on topics we should look into or questions you’d like answered, drop me a line. Maybe we’ll do a Q&A video this week.
If you’re feeling giving and want to help us keep the newsletter free, please feel free to drop a couple of nickels in our Virtual Tip Jar. We will be moving to a subscription model later this year, but you help us grow in the meantime with a few extra bucks.
Have a great week.