George Schmidt publishes Substance News.
I’m really loving these updates on Pat Quinn’s political suicide.
Quinn’s slap in the face to the Chicago Teachers Union will prove as big a mistake as any of the others. On October 25, Quinn was at our LEAD (Legislators Educators Appreciation Dinner) where 2,000 CTU members and friends cheered him (although some actually booed even then). Obviously by that night he had already been talking with Vallas without letting anyone at CTU know about it. Quinn’s got a very short memory. In 2010, he won by that tiny margin with the help of the teacher vote, especially in Cook County. CTU was central to that, and only because Karen Lewis asked us in the 800-member House of Delegates in October 2010 to support Quinn and I spoke from the floor for a change from “no endorsement.” Then we (a) contributed and (b) helped GOTV.
The Vallas slap in the face will make it impossible for any teacher — let alone a union leader — to suggest that any other teacher vote for Pat Quinn. And part of the reality for Quinn/VALLAS is that everybody knows that even with a Republican governor Illinois will still be insulated from the worst of what’s been taking place across the Midwest.
So Pat Quinn decided to commit political suicide and open the door for a serious discussion of alternative political parties. This is also helped along by the fact that the Working Families Party helped DiBlasio get elected in New York City and helped dump Vallas our of Bridgeport. So now there are lots of fun reasons to do this.
But…
At the same time, many of our most serious friends in politics are still in the Democratic Party. We live in Chicago’s 45th Ward, where Rahm Emanuel has already helped set up a candidate against our incumbent alderman, John Arena. I’m glad the politics will be complex in the coming two years. People can handle it. We can get out the vote in the 45th Ward for John Arena and others while simply cutting off the top of any palm cards that say “Quinn/Vallas”
It’s been done before with a smile here in Chicago and elsewhere. What counts on election day is who we walk the precincts for, as well as all that Quinn Vallas nonsense, doubletalk, and frenetic lying. And neither Paul G. Vallas nor Pat Quinn has anyone I know willing to walk to the front door for them — let alone work the precinct from dawn until seven p.m. to GOTV.
– George Schmidt
Fred Klonsky 
Amen. Just got the mailing on benefits from CMS. We will opt for the PPO, which is $110 a month for me as a dependent than 1 percent, then 2 percent of my husband’s pension — a diminishment of his pension. The PPO is the ONLY choice for WIU retirees in McDonough County — I suspect they will be furious. There are high co-pays, etc., tho there is a $1,300 annual max., for each of us, .plus a $100 deductible. In short this will cost us thousands of $$ a year. No more political contributions for DINOs who voted to let this happen..
Those of you in Cook County could easily make or break Quinn in the next election, as you did in the last one. In looking at 2010, he carried 4 out of the 102 Illinois counties. He got 52% of his total votes from Cook County alone, with the remaining 48% from the other 101 counties. In Cook County, he beat Brady 64% to 29%. In the rest of the state Brady beat him 56% to 36%. Bottom line? The rest of the state has hated him since before the last election. We pleaded with our union leaders not to support him and our local leaders agreed, but were overridden at the state level and IFT-AFT put money into his campaign anyway. Look where that’s gotten us. We need to send a message that we’re only going to put our money with people who have proven they’re on the side of fairness and upholding the constitutional rights we have earned. I wouldn’t fund anyone who voted for SB1523, nor Quinn if he signs it. Strike one is what Quinn wants to do to teachers and state employees, including current retirees, strike two is Vallas as a running mate, and strike three would be if he signs SB1523.
Mark my words, he’ll sign it and say “I don’t want to do this, but we need to let the courts decide this issue, and my signing it is the only way to get the issue to that venue.” Cop out and total malarky. Using our money to get someone reelected needs to be based on performance, and nothing else. Promises, spin, and shifting blame should have no traction with us.
If neither of the two parties can put forward candidates who are acceptable, then the “We Are One” coalition needs to put its money where its mouth is and draft an independent candidate that represents our values. Plainly and simply, Squeezy needs to be squeezed out.
Just one man’s opinion.
Couldn’t agree more with Norm’s opinion. The sad reality is either way if Quinn wins or loses, he still wins. If he wins the election Quinn will see it as his belief that he was put on this earth to save IL from itself with regard to pension “reform”. If Quinn loses, he becomes a lobbyist for one of the companies represented by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. In the meantime IL through pension “reform” will continue to try to create an underclass of citizens who over time due to a diminished state pension via a reduced COLA, will not be able to keep up with their standard of living and will make too much for government assistance. Quin/Vallas are like the waves of the ocean, one goes out and two come in. This year it’s them, next year it’s another dynamic duo to contend with. Until the outrage of ALL annuitants are heard loud and clear, we’ll be dealing with anyone else who wants to be governor when they grow up unless there is a grass roots movement spearheaded by those most affected. If you think there’s problems in River City now, just wait until 2018 when the question of opening up the state constitution for revision is on the ballot. I’d love to see a forensic audit of IL done on the last 20 years or more on the ballot to see just how exactly all the money was spent but our legislators have adamantly refused to consider that. Probably unlike a simple audit, we’d get real answers about why IL is broke.
I would like to commend George Schmidt and Sharon Schmidt on their fine work exposing Paul Vallas–it certainly offered very relevant background information to those who fought Vallas’s appointment, his certification “waiver”, and many of his tired old school rerorm, neo-liberal nostrums here in Connecticut.
Is it just our peculiarly rapacious era, or are public schools and public pensions usually connected? You are surely better informed than a Connecticut resident, but I just thought I’d link a few things here: http://watchdog.org/100924/gasp-il-dems-agree-with-alec-on-pension-reform/ which made for alarming reading; the next one, because school privatization and pension privatization are two sides of a neo-liberal coin: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/rhode-island-pension-reform_n_1088724.html –this article is a bit dated, but the thread leads through a bizarre labyrinth: Vallas–Pryor–Cory Booker–Andy Moffit (Booker’s Yale roommate)–Gina Raimondo, Moffit’s wife and state treasurer of Rhode Island and gubernatorial wannabe who has ransacked state employee pensions to the accolades of–you’ll love this–none other than Rahm Emanuel–http://www.wpri.com/news/politics/state-politics/raimondo-campaign-war-chest-hits-1-7m
The same crew just supports each other and they are destroying unions and stealing people’s pensions all over the place.
“Raimondo’s donors include Orin Kramer, Roger Altman, Whitney Tilson and Sheryl Sandberg (of Facebook).
• Newark, New Jersey’s mayor Cory Booker roomed with Raimondo’s husband, Andy Moffit, at Yale Law.
• Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Pa. Treasurer Rob McCord have reached out to her for pension advice.”–http://blogs.wpri.com/2012/01/10/whats-new-in-the-bloomberg-news-profile-of-gina-raimondo/
George I say we go to work for a moderate republican. Maybe Brady if he would compromise
There is no moderate Republican in the race. Even Republican Senator Kirk won’t endorse any of the candidates because he finds them too far right. http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x825430573/Sen-Kirk-wont-endorse-anyone-in-GOP-governors-race
Quinn is the moderate Republican in the race. But in the political tradition, is moving right for the primary.
As a BAT (BadAssTeacher), I have heard from my friends in Connecticut about the great damage done by Vallas. Most say he accepted the offer from Quinn to escape the mess – and pending lawsuits, they say – he created. As a retiree, I am alarmed and disgusted by the situation created by legislators and the potential harm to my benefits. I don’t see that a Quinn-Vallas ticket will help state employees in any way. This will probably be the first year I don’t vote Democrat. ^0^