Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago, Emanuel won along with Obama, mayor’s allies say

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:32:01 -0500

President Barack Obama’s re-election — and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s front-and-center role in it — will pay dividends for Chicago, mayoral allies predicted Wednesday.

GOP’s Bruce Rauner raising — and spending — big on governor’s race

Wed, 02 Oct 2013 02:27:49 -0500

Millionaire venture capitalist Bruce Rauner reported Tuesday that he has raised $1 million for his GOP gubernatorial primary race over the past three months — marking the third consecutive quarter he reached or neared seven figures in donations. The rate at which Rauner is raising money appears to be dwarfing his opponents. But so too is the rate at which he’s spending it. The Rauner campaign reports it will have about $600,000 cash on hand by the time filings are due Oct. 15, having spent around $2.3 million. The period covered by the reports is the three months ending Monday night.

Oberweis weighing another challenge to Durbin

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 02:18:12 -0500

State Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) said he wasn’t planning to make a run against U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. But he could be persuaded. A privately-commissioned We Ask America poll conducted this week showed Oberweis, 67, trailing Durbin by 11 percentage points. Of those surveyed, 38.6 percent said they would back Oberweis and 49.9 percent said they would support the Springfield Democrat.

Hillary Clinton: Pat Quinn is ‘luckiest politician’

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 02:26:18 -0500

Hillary Clinton knows Illinois, politics, luck — and Bill Daley. And the former secretary of State joked Wednesday that all of that worked out quite well for Gov. Pat Quinn. “He’s just been entered into the Guinness World Records Book as luckiest politician,” she quipped at a charity luncheon in Chicago.

With Bill Daley now out of race, the mighty Pat Quinn is mighty lucky once again

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 19:47:46 -0500

ANALYSIS: It’s official. Pat Quinn is the luckiest person in Illinois politics. The incumbent governor who is lagging in opinion polls and heading a state in the midst of a fiscal crisis, is on a path to coast to a March 2014 Democratic Primary victory without spending a nickel of his campaign cash. Just a few months ago, Quinn faced the possibility of a three-way primary.

Bill Daley drops out of governor’s race; ‘He decided it wasn’t what he wanted to do’

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 19:48:08 -0500

In a stunning political development, former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley is dropping out of the governor’s race because, as one longtime political friend put it Monday, he didn’t have the “fire in the belly.” When asked if he was throwing his hat out of the ring, Daley said emphatically: “Yes.” Daley, the brother and son of former Chicago mayors, scheduled a news conference for Tuesday morning at the Union League Club, where his spokesman said the former Commerce Secretary would explain his decision to voters.

Office furniture tab for Capitol rehab? Nearly half a million dollars

Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:44:29 -0500

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois may be broke, but it isn’t so poor that it can’t afford to equip the Capitol offices of 19 state senators and a corps of legislative staffers with nearly $500,000 worth of new office furniture. That expenditure is the latest costly piece of a controversial $50 million makeover that Gov. Pat Quinn says has turned the Illinois Statehouse into a Midwestern version of the “Palace of Versailles.” The purchases, which will mean $7,100 in new furniture for each state senator moving into a new office, are being financed through a long-term borrowing plan that means taxpayers won’t finish paying for all of the new desks, office chairs, credenzas and tables until sometime after 2030.

So far, Rep. Roskam not derailed by ethics flap, break from party leaders on Syria

Sun, 15 Sep 2013 02:33:01 -0500

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) has increasingly stepped into the spotlight over the last several months; as a searing critic of the Obama Administration’s handling of the IRS scandal, as a vocal opponent to the new health care law and as a proponent for a piecemeal approach to immigration reform. Last week, the U.S. House Chief Deputy Whip from suburban Chicago made news again on diverging fronts – he stood apart from party leadership saying he was a “no” vote on use of military force in Syria — but also was hit with the unwelcome announcement that a House ethics panel would not drop a probe into a 2011 trip he took to Taiwan.

Obama: ‘I believe we should act’ in Syria — if diplomacy fails

Wed, 11 Sep 2013 02:21:46 -0500

On the eve of the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, President Barack Obama stood before a war-weary nation Tuesday night making the case for a military strike against Syria — if diplomacy fails. In a 15-minute speech from the White House, Obama argued the need to take action against a leader whom Obama painted as a dangerous dictator whose atrocities would only worsen if gone unpunished. At the same time, Obama announced he would ask Congress to postpone a vote on the use of force in Syria until diplomatic negotiations had run their course.

Candidates for governor latch onto Capitol doors as campaign issue

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 08:42:31 -0500

SPRINGFIELD — Three sets of copper-plated doors installed at the Capitol for nearly $670,000 got slammed repeatedly Thursday as the gaudy and controversial showpieces triggered a new round of finger-pointing in the 2014 race for governor.

Critics knock $669,608 state Capitol doors: ‘It doesn’t look right’

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 21:41:13 -0500

SPRINGFIELD — Go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and look for a set of exterior doors for your home or business, and the cost likely wouldn’t exceed a few thousand dollars. But if you’re looking for the kind of copper-coated doors just installed at three entrances to the state Capitol, forget about going to a strip shopping mall. Capitol Architect J. Richard Alsop III Wednesday confirmed that the new doors — part of a $50 million overhaul of the state Capitol — cost taxpayers $669,608 to buy and install.

New House GOP leader calls leading ‘super-minority’ a ‘big job’

Tue, 03 Sep 2013 02:16:19 -0500

Presented with a “super-minority,” of members, anemic fund-raising and a pile of pressing fiscal issues, state Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) knows he has his work cut out for him in the face of new campaigns next year. Durkin said he’s ready to lead. The 52-year-old, 14-year state lawmaker was unanimously selected by his colleagues last week as the next minority leader in the Illinois House. In an interview with the Sun-Times, Durkin said he’s prepared to lead the 47 Republican members of the chamber into a new day. “It’s a big job,” Durkin said Friday. “We’ve got huge policy issues we need to deal with, campaign issues, fund-raising issues.”

State Sen. Raoul opts out of governor’s race

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 06:38:36 -0500

Whether state Sen. Kwame Raoul would have been a viable alternative or a spoiler is now moot. In a post on his Facebook page, the legislator from the Hyde Park-Kenwood area said Thursday he is not running for governor in 2014.

State House GOP selects new leader: Jim Durkin

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 06:36:16 -0500

A veteran Republican lawmaker from the Chicago suburbs claimed the title of Illinois House minority leader on Thursday, following a formal selection by his colleagues in Springfield. State Rep. Jim Durkin of Western Springs fended off a challenge by Springfield lawmaker Raymond Poe, who pulled out of contention at the last minute.

‘Heartbroken’ Jackson worked to protect son — and family name

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 10:03:48 -0500

For years, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his namesake son had battled for the spotlight and publicly sparred over their differences. But when some of the Jackson family’s darkest days hit last week, it was the Rev. Jesse Jackson who stood before cameras. The elder Jackson even heaped some of the blame onto himself.

‘We let him down’ — Text of statement by the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

Wed, 14 Aug 2013 20:08:00 -0500

“The last few months have been difficult and filled with dark days and many low moments for our family. “Today I speak as a father. I was proud of Jesse Jr. as he stood before the judge and accepted full responsibility for his actions. He was remorseful. He is recovering. He has highs and lows. I have a greater appreciation for it now. “He turned to us as a family and said that ‘I let you down’ and for that I apologize. I think we let him down, I may have missed the signs and I was apologetic to him. …