GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - March 2, 2008

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
-- GOP is caught looking as the Rezko trial begins - John Kass
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/columnists/chi-kass-rezko-trial-blago-column,0,2681681.column
(FROM THE ARTICLE: All this could have been Republican fodder, with Rezko facing unrelated extortion charges for playing politics the Chicago Way: using government muscle to force business owners into funding political campaigns, with extra cash to stuff a few pockets. With Rezko's jury being selected, you might think Republicans would feel some excitement running down their legs, the way liberal pundits tingle with Obamamania, or the way teenage girls respond to photographs of Justin Timberlake. Instead the Republicans are subdued. As I've warned before, the Rezko trial isn't about Obama. It is about Rezko and some Democrats, like Gov. Rod "The Unreformer" Blagojevich. But it also involves Rezko and powerful Illinois Republicans with national reach. What's on trial is the Illinois Combine. The key witness is former Republican power broker and alleged cocaine user Stuart Levine, who will testify he stacked state boards that decide which politically connected investment firms get billions of state pension fund dollars to play with. Confused? Combine Republicans and Democrats put their friends on those government boards, grease each other up with deals and kickbacks, and squeal with delight. We pay for this bipartisan cooperation in higher taxes, the Chicago Way. Levine isn't the only Republican implicated in Operation Board Games. There's "Co-Schemer A" -- Illinois Republican boss Big Bill Cellini. He's the Republican asphalt king, casino magnate and recipient of millions of tax dollars to finance his hotel deals and other projects, like multiple partnerships with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's favorite developer, Michael Marchese. And you thought only Chicago Democrats got fat on public money? Cellini has not been indicted, but he has been implicated in a scheme to shake down an investment banker with Hollywood connections, and now Cellini has retained one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the state. Also mentioned is Cellini's plump handmaiden, also known as "Individual K" in the case's court documents, none other than Big Bob Kjellander (pronounced $hell-ander). Kjellander, a friend of former White House adviser Karl Rove, remains a Republican National Committee bigshot who is planning the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis in September. Until recently, Kjellander was the treasurer of the Republican National Committee, even though he'd received $4.5 million in finder's fees for questionable bond deals with the Democratic Blagojevich administration. One involved an $809,000 fee from an investment bank to Kjellander. According to Rezko court documents, Kjellander funneled $600,000 of that to a Rezko confidant and called it a loan and kept the other $209,000 for himself. Who needs the Bush stimulus package with $hellander interest rates? Kjellander told the Tribune he made the loan to the Rezko friend because "I got a very favorable interest rate. That loan was repaid before the due date and I made a very nice profit on the interest . . . I did nothing improper." How nice. I don't think U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald agrees, but at present, Kjellander and Cellini remain uncharged, with Kjellander's juicy loan having just been cut out of Rezko trial evidence last week and probably being saved for later. Yet this has taken the bat out of national Republican hands. This week, national news organizations will focus on Obama's Illinois, illuminating the Combine, the Chicago Way of the Democrats, the Springfield Way of the Republicans. "No comment," is what the Republican National Committee said Friday when I called about the Republicans and Rezko. It sounded like a baseball bat dropping to the ground after a strikeout.)
-- Trial knocks on governor's door The Rezko corruption case promises to raise the curtain on Illinois' pay-to-play politics and the Blagojevich administration - Bob Secter and Ray Long
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-rezko_governor_bdmar02,0,3443743.story
(FROM THE ARTICLE: George Ryan indicted after office Scandal has touched many previous governors, but in vastly different ways. Federal agents had been circling around Ryan's administration for years. Still, it wasn't until just days before Ryan was to leave office that prosecutors first publicly suggested he had a role in the licenses-for-bribes scandal, which began when he was secretary of state. The federal indictment that would lead to Ryan's conviction and imprisonment came nearly a year after his departure. Even former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar had a brush with scandal during his second term when prosecutors charged that a multimillion-dollar public aid contract was steered to a company run by some of his biggest political donors. The scandal sent two mid-level state workers and two officials of the company, Management Services Inc., to prison. Edgar was never accused of wrongdoing. But he did testify for the defense, becoming the first sitting Illinois governor in decades to take the witness stand in a criminal case. In Springfield, where Blagojevich's unpopularity with Republicans and Democrats alike helped fuel last year's record standoff on the state budget, the consensus among lawmakers was that the trial will weaken him further, whatever the outcome. "The governor came here riding a white horse and he was our ethics czar and he definitely doesn't deserve a pass," said Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest). "But I think it's really more important that we as legislators and leaders look into why this continues to happen over and over again." Rep. Rosemary Mulligan (R-Des Plaines) said Blagojevich brought his current troubles on himself. "Innuendo can kill you even if it proves not to be true," said Mulligan. "Part of the problem is he was so cocky about [saying] he was going to do this like nobody else had ever done it before. He was just asking for people to scrutinize him.")
-- Expand health coverage: Listen up, Governor: No - Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0302edit1.txtmar02,0,4109476.story
(THE EDITORIAL: Under some circumstances, the refusal to take "no" for an answer is admirable. It's a sign of persistence and resolve. Then there's Gov. Rod Blagojevich. A state legislative panel last week delivered an unmistakable "No" to the governor: You cannot massively expand health coverage in the state without legislative approval. The vote wasn't close: 8 to 2. Nor was it a surprise. That's the second time in three months the panel has delivered the same resounding message. This time lawmakers said, probably in a moment of wishful thinking, that their latest vote should put an end to the governor's expensive and illegal health-care expansion plan. Fat chance. The administration insists it has the authority for the governor's plan to extend state-subsidized health insurance to reach 147,000 parents and other caretakers who earn up to $82,000 a year. It considers the panel votes "merely advisory." And now this standoff is heading to court: A Cook County judge is scheduled to hold a hearing March 11 on a lawsuit challenging the administration's authority to expand the program without approval from lawmakers. So, to review: The legislature said no. The state can't keep up with the costs of its current health-care programs, much less afford to expand them. Blagojevich is doing it anyway. This isn't admirable resolve or persistence. It's recklessness. On a recent visit to the Tribune's editorial board, Comptroller Dan Hynes sketched a scary summary of Illinois' finances. The state is stringing along doctors, hospitals, clinics and nursing homes that care for patients on Medicaid. They provide care, but they don't get paid. Hynes projects that well over $1 billion in Medicaid bills will be piled up at the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The state will need an additional $500 million for health-care costs for fiscal 2009, he said. Blagojevich's insurance expansion has already signed up 3,300 people since December. It is estimated to cost about $14 million in fiscal 2008. As more enroll, the costs will explode. The administration has estimated the program could cost up to $225 million a year; critics say the real price tag will be much higher. This isn't just some arcane political feud in Springfield. Real people could get hurt here. Those 3,300 people who've recently signed up for the insurance program? They could be tossed off the insurance rolls if the governor is found to have overstepped his authority. If that happens, those people could be saddled with medical expenses they thought were covered by the state. That's enough to make you sick.)
-- Columbia: Roskam reports from the other side of trade debate - Jim Tankersley
http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/roskam_reports_from_the_other.html
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/roskam_reports_from_the_other.html

CBS2
-- VERY SAD: Lawmakers: Gambling Expansion Could Still Happen State Rep. Lou Lang: 'I Don't Think It's Really Gone Away '- AP
http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/illinois.gambling.expansion.2.666683.html

NAPERVILLE SUN
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: Democrat Party controlled "nonprofit" "nonpartisan" "Illinois Ballot Integrity Project" continues to harass the DuPage County Election Commission
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/821358,6_1_NA02_BALLOT_S1.article
-- Illinois in serious financial trouble - Kirk W. Dillard, (R-Hinsdale), Illinois state senator, Republican whip
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/opinions/letters/818608,6_4_NA29_LETTERS_S1.article
(THE LETTER: It is impossible to ignore the economic slowdown. At the national level, the candidates for president, leading economists and the media have all joined together in agreement: The economy is a critical issue facing America today. Unfortunately at the state level, Illinois' economic future is just as dreary. Under Gov. Rod Blagojevich, economic development has faltered. Illinois continues to rank near the bottom of the United States in job growth, while state leaders and fiscal watchdog groups have repeatedly lamented Illinois' fiscal condition. In recent days, the state treasurer reported that income from this year's investments is expected to be anemic at best. The state stands to lose $40 to $50 million on its investment portfolio, and revenue growth has fallen significantly behind initial projections. In fact, budget experts are predicting more than a half-billion dollar shortfall in the state's budget. Meanwhile, Comptroller Dan Hynes is reporting extensive delays in reimbursements to hospitals, nursing homes, and medicaid providers. Though Illinois' $1 billion backlog of unpaid bills has been reduced since December 2007, the comptroller's office anticipates the backlog will continue to rise in the coming months - prompting Hynes to float the idea of additional short-term borrowing. Hynes said Illinois has the largest budget deficit of any state in America! Illinois is in serious trouble. Unless state leaders summon some measure of restraint, we could be headed for a fiscal meltdown. I urge the governor and the state's four top legislative leaders to address this emergency immediately as the new legislative session convenes.)
-- DuPage Board earns more than Will Board - Michael F. Wisniewski, Will County commissioner, Naperville
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/opinions/letters/810878,6_4_NA25_LETTERS_S1.article
(THE LETTER: In your editorial on the topic of Will County pay increases, some contrasts and comparisons to DuPage County Board members might have shown your readers the facts in a more educational format. By state statutes in counties with less than 800,000 population elected County Board members serve on both the Forest Preserve Board and the County Board. In Will County a board member serves the community for two governmental functions. As a County Board member for which the salary is $21,500 per year. No extra pay for chairing a committee. Plus as a Forest Preserve commissioner where the pay is $36 per meeting stipend (attended) multiplied by two meetings per month, equalling $72 multiplied by 12, which is $864 per year. The total possible salary/income is $22,364 with no scheduled annual pay increases. A DuPage County Board member currently earns approximately $48,000 per year, with 3 percent annual raises through 2012. The chairman and vice chairman earn an additional $3,000 and $1,000 annually. A DuPage County Forest Preserve Board member earns $48,000 annually, with no additional pay for being a chair. Therefore, a Will County taxpayer gets an elected official whom manages two government functions for them at roughly 45 percent the salary of a single public function office holder. If Will County Board members' salaries were increased to $30,000 annually they would still earn roughly 45 percent less than their DuPage counterparts while still holding a dual function set of public offices. Please do not misconstrue any of these points of information to say anything negative about DuPage County government or its elected public officials.)

DAILY HERALD
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Daily Herald endorses Oberweis
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=145233&src=
(THE ENDORSEMENT: With our fingers crossed, Oberweis to replace Hastert Either Republican Jim Oberweis or Democrat Bill Foster might make a good congressman. And either might just as easily be a disaster. Neither will be anything like the man one of them will replace in the 14th U.S. House District after Saturday's special election. Dennis Hastert was decidedly of the people, a middle-class guy with middle-class values and a real familiarity with the problems of the average voter. Moderation, at least until he was engulfed in the partisan rancor of the era at the end of his career, was his watchword, and the way he voted, spoke and thought. Oberweis and Foster are both rich men, successful businessmen largely unfamiliar with the intrusiveness and give-and-take of public governance. And neither has anywhere near the understanding of the average constituent's day-to-day problems that Hastert did. Thus, we can only hope whoever wins will put listening closely to constituents, not party hacks, at the top of the priority list if they truly want to act for the people. Our nod goes to Oberweis because he could explain and support his views far better than did Foster, and because his views seem more aligned with this longtime Republican district. But we don't consider either man particularly representative of the district, at least not in their campaign incarnations. When viewed as men and not candidates, neither strikes us as particularly extreme. But as candidates, both seem more reflective of their parties, which are in the hands of extremists these days, not pragmatists. One good example can be found in the area of health care. Oberweis, as he does in many areas, believes a free market sans government is the best solution for the nation's ever more expensive and inaccessible health care system. But given how entwined the government is via Medicare, Medicaid and children's health programs, its seems unlikely the two will ever be fully disengaged. But Foster's advocacy of government-run national health care is just as unrealistic given Americans' reluctance to turn over their medical decisions to bureaucrats and pay the exorbitant costs that have been created by every similar program across the globe. Neither man, then, represents moderation or the average guy, at least not until pushed into it. In our editorial board interview last week, both agreed, only after being prodded, that they would support negotiation of drug prices now banned under Medicare Part D legislation and allow re-importation of drugs. Those positions are supported by the populace, unpopular with drug companies -- and not part of either man's campaign rhetoric. That has been reduced to "gotcha" cheap shots with the late involvement of the national parties, which have unleashed a barrage of ads off-putting to 14th District voters of every ilk. A similar scenario plays out on the war in Iraq, where Oberweis seems content to stay on indefinitely and Foster would pull out, worrying only about troop safety and having little regard for the mess we leave behind. Neither, in our view, represents the American majority. On illegal immigration, the two agree on better border enforcement and more aggressive enforcement of employment laws, the prevailing view in nearly every national poll. After that they diverge, but Americans seem disinclined to engage in discussion about what comes later until the first two are reality anyway. In the end, our choice of Oberweis is based on the fact that he better represents a moderate to conservative district, and has grown into a more responsive and less confrontational candidate. And he did a far better job of explaining and supporting his positions than did Foster, who projected less certainty, less clarity and less confidence than he did before the primary. So it's Oberweis with our fingers crossed, and the knowledge that we can review the choice again. The winner of this election serves out Hastert's unfinished term until January 2009 and faces re-election in November.)
-- Roskam emphasizes Colombian victory - AP
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=145640&src=2

COURIER NEWS
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Salles and Campana discuss Foster and Oberweis, Roskam discusses being a new Congressman
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/821609,3_1_EL02_A1CONGRESS_S1.article
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: No "Republican" should support Foster because Foster is a Democrat who rejects the Republican Party platform
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/821623,3_1_EL02_A1CONGRESS_S2.article
(THE ARTICLE: Foster touts support of GOP, independents - David Gialanella ELGIN -- It may still be unclear exactly how congressional candidate Bill Foster plans to "end partisan bickering" in Washington if he wins next Saturday's contest, but getting some lifelong Republicans to back him in the race seems like good start. Foster -- who is running against dairy tycoon Jim Oberweis to finish out retired Rep. Dennis Hastert's term -- visited Elgin Community College Saturday to accept endorsements by some traditionally more conservative people, including Batavia Alderman Jim Volk, an independent. Foster said he has received vocal support from a number of other area residents who said they were -- up until now -- lifelong Republicans. "Our camp has seen a groundswell of support from across the political spectrum," Foster said. "Yes, even Republicans." Foster said Saturday that voters from the left, right and center all realize that Congress needs more business- and science-minded individuals in order to be effective going forward. Foster has maintained throughout his campaign that his background as a Fermilab scientist uniquely qualifies him to help tackle a host of problems, particularly alternative energy. It's difficult to beat a candidate with a recognizable name like Oberweis, but Foster is confident, he said. "I suspect in the end, I will do better in the Fox Valley than out west, but I'm not giving up," Foster said. "We're not giving up on any section of the county.")

BEACON NEWS
-- VERY SAD: Chicagoans to pay nation's highest sales tax - AP
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/821482,2_1_AU02_COOK_S1.article
(THE ARTICLE: CHICAGO -- Among the things Chicago wants to be known for, having the highest total sales taxes of any major city in the nation is probably not one of them. But that's what it's getting after the Cook County Board voted early Saturday to double the county sales tax to 1.75 percent, raising the city's cumulative rate to 10.25 percent. That compares with rates in New York and Los Angeles that are below 8.5 percent. The approved increase ends a five-month stalemate over a $3 billion budget in Cook County -- but it upset many business leaders. Jerry Roper of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce said it "makes our region more expensive and less competitive as our country lies on the brink of recession." With the sales tax increase, which takes effect in November, someone buying $100 worth of merchandise in Chicago will pay an extra dollar in sales tax. In suburban Cook, sales tax will be a minimum of 9 percent. Commissioners adopted the new budget sought by County Board President Todd Stroger by a 10-7 vote. The tax increase is expected to add about $426 million annually to Cook County coffers, and it will close a projected $234 million deficit.)
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: Mass immigration and illegal immigration "may bite into" school budgets
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/821626,2_1_AU02_ISAT_S1.article

KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE
-- Dairy, finance magnate Oberweis says he wants to fix a ‘broken’ Congress - Kate Thayer
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2008/03/02/news/local/doc47ca610ac157c911884324.txt

ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH
-- VERY SAD: SB2288: Income tax hike gets new attention amid Illinois budget worries - Ryan Keith
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/C9DD2E6900C1D39E862573FF00201C38?OpenDocument

ASSOCIATED PRESS
-- Corruption trial likely to include mention of Obama, Blagojevich - Mike Robinson
http://www.bnd.com/news/state/story/270478.html
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/270015.html

NORTHWEST HERALD
-- McHenry County Democrat, Green, and Republican parties gear up for November - Regan Foster
http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/03/02/news/local/doc47ca4b1cba3b3602408658.txt

SOUTHTOWN STAR
-- Pitting cancer against politics - Kristen McQueary
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/mcqueary/819513,030208mcqueary.article
-- Another governor who didn't know nuttin' - Phil Kadner
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/kadner/820936,030208Kadner.article

JOURNAL GAZETTE TIMES COURIER
-- If governor won't do his job, he should resign - Editorial
http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2008/03/02/opinion/editorial/doc47c8c3bc9d866652210794.txt

TOWNHALL
-- Obama: America's first Gay President? - Kevin McCullough
http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/KevinMcCullough/2008/03/02/obama_americas_first_gay_president

NEW YORK TIMES
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Outrageously, the New York Times a) demonizes those who oppose illegal immigration as being nativists and racists and worse, b) ignores the fact unlike previous waives of immigrants, the current waive includes so many illegals, c) argues that Romney's campaign failed because he opposes illegal immigration, d) argues that Huckabee is able to stay in because he is "friendlier to immigrants," and e) argues that McCain is moving ahead because he championed a bill that "made him look soft on illegal immigration" and now the "backlash" against illegal immigration is fading
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/weekinreview/02leonhardt.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin
-- As Developer Rezko Heads to Trial, Questions Linger Over a Deal With Obama - Mike McIntire and Christopher Drew
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/us/politics/02rezko.html?scp=1&sq=

FORBES
-- Ann Romney's Wildest Dreams - Carl Lavin
http://blogs.forbes.com/trailwatch/2008/03/ann-romneys-wil.html

PUBLIC AFFAIRS
-- Berkowitz w/Sauerberg on Durbin
http://jeffberkowitz.blogspot.com/2008/03/better-than-deal-or-no-deal-hannity-and.html

NAPERVILLE TOWNSHIP REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION
-- Naperville Township Republicans elect new officers - Michael Bowler
www.gopillinois.com (3/2/08 News Clips page)
(THE PRESS RELEASE: On Saturday morning, March 1, the Naperville Township Republican Committeemen met for their organization meeting to elect the new officers of the organization. At this meeting the following officers were elected: Chairman – Rachel Ossyra Vice-Chairman – Michael Bowler Recording Secretary – Keri-Lynn Krafthefer Treasurer – Paul Santucci Corresponding Secretary – Matthew Carlyle The officer terms are for two years and comprise the Executive Committee of the Organization and the Chairman is a member of the DuPage Republican Central Committee. “We are very happy to have this new group of officers to lead the organization and work to get our Republican Nominees elected in November. We will continue to work the precincts to inform our voters on our great Candidates, our committeemen will be working very hard to insure our local candidates are victorious in November, highlighting our State Representative Nominee Darlene Senger and County Board Candidates Jim Healy and Gerry Cassioppi and Forest Preserve Commissioner Carl Schultz.” Bowler said. “This is a very important election, not only on the National level, but more importantly here on the local level. We need to continue to have great Republicans representing us in Springfield and at the County.” Naperville Township includes portions of Naperville, Aurora, Warrenville and Eola in DuPage County. For more information please visit www.napervillerepublicans.org.)

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
-- New GOPUSA ILLINOIS poll - Dave Diersen
CAST YOUR VOTE AT: http://gopusa.com/illinois/poll.shtml
Who is most responsible for the current condition of the Illinois Republican Party?
-- Tom Cross
-- Kirk Dillard
-- Jim Edgar
-- Peter Fitzgerald
-- Dennis Hastert
-- Bob Kjellander
-- Andy McKenna
-- George Ryan
-- Jim Ryan
-- Jim Thompson
-- Judy Baar Topinka
-- Frank Watson