miller
Rich Miller biography
Rich Miller has been writing about Illinois politics since 1990. He began publishing Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, in 1993. He is recognized …
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Illinois GOP is out of step with changing electorate
Not all that long ago, DuPage County was about as reliably Republican and rock-ribbed conservative as they came. Things are changing For one, it’s not nearly as Republican. Back in the 1998 governor’s race, Republican George Ryan defeated Democrat Glenn Poshard by 104,000 votes in …Read More
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Black pastors hit gay marriage
There was a time at the Illinois Statehouse when using African-American ministers as political props was all the rage. ComEd touted support from black preachers to pass a bill to raise its rates. AT&T did the same when it passed a major piece of legislation. …Read More
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It’s Cullerton vs. crowd on pensions
What we have in Springfield right now is an epic legislative stalemate over an issue of absolute importance. On one side we have the Senate president, John Cullerton, who says he wants to make sure that any pension reform legislation has a chance of being …Read More
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Fracking could be Illinois’ savior
Before “fracking” and horizontal oil drilling was tried in North Dakota, the state was producing about 80,000 barrels of the sticky black stuff a day, not much more than Illinois. Last December, North Dakota pumped out almost 800,000 barrels a day, making it the second-largest …
Gay marriage won’t ruin Illinois
For well over 30 years, whenever the subject of gay rights came up in the Illinois General Assembly, legislators ran away in droves. The excuses were always the same. Homosexuality is immoral, so religious businesses owners shouldn’t have to hire a gay person, or serve …
Gov. Quinn is short on ideas for more jobs
I spent Thursday afternoon looking at some numbers and discovered some good news that you probably don’t know. For the first seven months of the fiscal year (through the end of January), Illinois tax revenues grew by about a billion dollars. That’s almost a 7 …
Miller: There’s no viable center in state gun debate
If you want to understand why little to no progress will likely be made on gun control here in Illinois or nationally, just look at the abortion issue. Abortion is a hugely emotional and divisive issue in this country. At the heart of the matter …
It’s wise guy or schnook for Gov. Pat Quinn
At the end of the movie “Goodfellas,” mobster-turned-informant Henry Hill laments that he’s out of the business. “Today everything is different. There’s no action. Have to wait around like everyone else. Can’t even get decent food. Right after I got here, I ordered some spaghetti …
Concealed Carry will not do us in
I’ve long subscribed to the belief that if someone’s behavior isn’t hurting anybody else, then the government ought to leave them alone. Legalizing marijuana certainly falls into that belief structure. If somebody wants to get high and eat Cheetos all day, then I don’t think …
Beware, Illinois GOP: Get smart or die
The challenges facing the Republican Party in this state are simply enormous. For the first time in 20 years, more Illinoisans identified themselves to exit pollsters as independents than Republicans. Latinos made up 12 percent of the Election Day voting population this year, a 50 …
To return to relevance in Illinois, GOP must change
For the first time in at least 20 years, more independents voted in Illinois last Tuesday than Republicans. I spent part of Thursday afternoon going through some exit polling data to see if I could find anything to cheer up my Republican friends. I really …
Money and jokes with SuperPACs
According to the Sunlight Foundation, independent expenditures on federal campaigns by so-called “superPACs” and others have just about reached the half-billion dollars mark. Yes, that’s billion with a “b.” About three-quarters of that money has been spent on negative attack ads. And about $14 million …
Ousted lawmaker Derrick Smith is a formidable foe
I first met Maze Jackson when he was running the Chicago and suburban ground game for Gov. Pat Quinn’s Democratic primary campaign. He’s brash, smart, funny, with a mind that can go a dozen directions at once. I couldn’t help but like the guy. And …
Foes of strike? Older white guys
A good friend e-mailed me after I published a poll in my “Capitol Fax” newsletter Thursday which revealed that 55.5 percent of Chicagoans approved of the Chicago teachers strike. My friend, a widely known pundit, wanted to tell me that he didn’t believe the poll, …
The real reasons why pension reform failed
There are a couple of stories the media isn’t telling you. Both are pretty important to understanding what’s happening in Springfield these days. Let’s start with Gov. Pat Quinn. The governor called a special legislative session last week that failed miserably. Quinn wanted pension reform …
Gov. Quinn’s budget scare tactic is bogus
Numbers are hard. People hate math. People really hate reading about numbers and math. This is why politicians are so successful at using numbers to confuse people. The media too often just accept the numbers and move right along. But there is a number sticking …
My Uncle Kenny is no state pension scammer
I spent some time at my Uncle Kenny’s house in Ashkum last weekend. We went to the Iroquois County Fair, which is like taking a step back in time. The fair hasn’t changed much at all since I was a kid. They still don’t allow …
Jesse Jackson Jr. story is a summery mystery
In the grand scheme of things, the disappearance of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. hardly matters at all. A minority party congressman drops out of sight, checks himself into some sort of treatment facility and won’t say where he is or for what, exactly, he’s …
I need a break from Illinois
Off and on for the past few years, I’ve tried to defend Illinois’ honor against the crazier attacks by outsiders while still candidly acknowledging that this state has some real problems which absolutely must be solved. That ain’t easy, to say the least. Ever since …
Take a fresh look at drug laws
I want to say right off the bat without any hesitation or equivocation whatsoever that I happen to like prosecutors and cops. I respect and honor their difficult jobs. I couldn’t do what they do, so I’m glad they’re there for me and everyone else. …
