November 3 Evening Edition

CBS2
— Cook County Democrats Endorse Kwame Raoul Over Quinn For Attorney General
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/11/03/cook-county-democrats-endorse-kwame-raoul-attorney-general/

NBC5
— Cook County Democrats Announce Endorsement in Attorney General Race – James Neveau
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/cook-county-democrats-endorse-kwame-raoul-for-attorney-general-454980903.html
— Rauner’s Re-Election Bid Just Got More Interesting – Mary Ann Ahern and Carol Marin
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/WEB-bruce-rauners-complicated-reelection-bid-455046643.html

ABC7
— Cook County Democrats endorse Kwame Raoul for Attorney General – Craig Wall
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/cook-county-democrats-endorse-state-sen-raoul-for-ag/2601066/

WGN TV
— Democratic candidates for AG seek endorsement from Cook County leaders – TAHMAN BRADLEY
http://wgntv.com/2017/11/03/democratic-candidates-for-ag-seek-endorsement-from-cook-county-leaders/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Jeanne Ives faces uphill fight if she challenges Rauner – Rich Miller
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/miller-jeanne-ives-faces-uphill-fight-if-she-challenges-rauner/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Until recently, state Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) had been passing separate nominating petitions for both her re-election to the Illinois House and a possible primary bid for governor against incumbent Republican Bruce Rauner. The ultra-conservative firebrand now says she has stopped passing re-election petitions. But if a recent poll is any indication, Rep. Ives might want to keep her House re-election bid alive because the state’s Republican Party may not be nearly as divided as some GOP politicians have been claiming it is. A Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll found that 61 percent of 1,064 likely Republican voters had a favorable impression of Gov. Rauner. Just 24 percent had an unfavorable opinion, despite the fact that he has been taking enormous heat from his right flank ever since he signed a publicly funded abortion on demand bill into law in late September. The intensely outspoken anger directed at Rauner over the abortion bill, which he promised to veto last spring, is pretty much without precedent. “In the face of overwhelming evidence of Rauner’s inability to competently administer the Illinois government, inability to stand up to Mike Madigan effectively, and inability to keep his word and his commitments, I can no longer support him,” said Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) after Rauner signed the bill. “And whether or not they are able to agree publicly, I know hundreds of elected Republicans, along with hundreds of thousands of Republican voters, who feel the same way I do.” Maybe not. We didn’t test President Donald Trump in this poll, but nationally he’s been getting somewhere between 80 and 85 percent support from members of his own party. So while Rauner has some very real problems when compared with Trump, is the opposition stiff enough to actually take him out in the primary? The poll, conducted for my newsletter subscribers Oct. 25-29, found Gov. Rauner is leading Rep. Ives 64-19, with 16 percent undecided. The poll had a margin of error of +/-3 percent. Rep. Ives told the Daily Herald not long ago that she had commitments for “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in contributions. But she’s gonna need a whole lot more than that because almost nobody knows who she is. According to the poll, 83 percent of Republican voters have never heard of Ives. Rep. Ives can tap into a strong statewide network of seasoned pro-life activists to collect enough signatures to get her onto the ballot against Rauner. And while that network also can generate lots of word of mouth for her candidacy (including via social media), it has historically never generated the kind of money that Ives will need to compete with the deep-pockets Rauner. If no millionaire surfaces to fund her campaign, she’ll need to tap into national small-dollar sources. So, it was somewhat surprising that Rep. Ives did not try to use her kickoff to closely tie herself to President Donald Trump. She never uttered his name during a long Illinois Channel television interview and didn’t appear to mention her party’s national leader when she launched her petition drive. That’s probably the easiest way to attract national attention and support, particularly since Gov. Rauner is so reticent to comment on anything the president says or does. According to the poll, 85 percent of Downstaters and suburban Cook voters have never heard of Ives, and neither has 78 percent of collar county suburbanites. Gov. Rauner’s Downstate lead over Rep. Ives is 65-17. It’s 67-16 in suburban Cook County and 65-22 in the collars. Among men, Rauner leads 69-21 with 10 percent undecided. Among women, it’s 60-17, with 23 percent undecided. Forty-seven percent of the respondents were mobile phone users. Her only “bright spot” is Chicago, where Rauner’s lead is 41-34. Even so, 76 percent of Chicagoans say they’ve never heard of her, meaning they chose her without knowing who she is. Chicago is the only region where Rauner’s favorability is upside down. Just 40 percent have a favorable opinion versus 49 percent who have an unfavorable view. “It won’t be easy to convince potential deep-pocket contributors that she has a fighting chance,” said pollster Gregg Durham of Rep. Ives. “In this first, albeit early poll, it’s hard to see a path for her success should she decide to take the plunge into these very treacherous waters.”)
— Quinn may be called ‘Gov. Quinn,’ but Raoul called county Dems AG pick – Tina Sfondeles
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/kwame-raoul-endorse-illinois-attorney-general-pat-quinn/
— Trump seeks more tax breaks on Chicago tower with Ald. Ed Burke’s help – Tim Novak
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/trump-seeks-more-tax-breaks-on-chicago-tower-with-ald-ed-burkes-help/
— GOP tax plan gives the rich kids all the Halloween candy – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/editorial-gop-tax-plan-gives-the-rich-kids-all-the-halloween-candy/
— Curbing harassment in creepy Capitol becomes a priority – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/sexual-harassment-illinois-legislature-editorial/
— Aldermen want sex harassment rules to apply to pols – Michael Sneed
https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/sneed-exclusive-aldermen-want-sex-harassment-rules-to-apply-to-pols/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Trump’s roads and bridges plan paved with funding questions, Lipinski says – Mary Wisniewski
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-trump-infrastructure-20171102-story.html
— Cook County Democrats endorse Raoul over Quinn and others for attorney general – Rick Pearson
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-cook-county-attorney-general-endorsement-20171103-story.html
— lllinois redistricting described as being done at the ‘Madigan level’ – Glenn Minnis
https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/511256853-lllinois-redistricting-described-as-being-done-at-the-madigan-level
— Challenge Illinois unions, go to jail. Seriously? – Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-illinois-right-to-work-jail-20171101-story.html
— Republican tax overhaul plan gets mixed reviews in Aurora – David Sharos
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/news/ct-abn-tax-react-st-1105-20171103-story.html
— Lawmakers to consider new top watchdog Saturday in wake of sexual harassment scandal at Illinois Capitol – Monique Garcia, Kim Geiger
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-illinois-legislature-sexual-harassment-20171103-story.htm
— New York mayor calls Cubs owner ‘a coward’ over closing news site DNAinfo, but Emanuel won’t go there – Kim Janssen
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoinc/ct-met-ricketts-de-blasio-1105-chicago-inc-20171103-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— How many families actually own half-million dollar homes? – Christopher Ingraham (DIERSEN: According to the Milton Township Assessor, 915 Cove Court in Wheaton is worth $474,150, but according to Zillow, it is worth only $458,173. The real estate tax bill is $10,757 with homestead and senior exemptions.)
http://www.dailyherald.com/business/20171103/how-many-families-actually-own-half-million-dollar-homes
— Ex-state lawmaker Sandra Pihos pleads not guilty to shoplifting charges – Justin Kmitch
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171103/ex-state-lawmaker-pleads-not-guilty-to-shoplifting-charges

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— My take on the army of Illinois attorney general candidates – GREG HINZ
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171103/ISSUE05/171109930/oddsmaking-on-quinn-and-other-illinois-attorney-general-candidates

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump slams Bergdahl decision: ‘Complete and total disgrace’ Bergdahl avoids prison time – DANIELLA DIAZ
http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/trump-slams-bergdahl-decision-complete-and-total-disgrace/850719057

WJBD RADIO
— Trump says military hitting ISIS ’10 times harder’
http://www.wjbdradio.com/politics/2017/11/03/trump-says-military-hitting-isis-10-times-harder

WILL COUNTY GAZETTE
— Will County clerk hopeful says gerrymandering leaves voters at a loss – Claudia Balthazar
https://willcountygazette.com/stories/511256868-will-county-clerk-hopeful-says-gerrymandering-leaves-voters-at-a-loss

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Milton Township tax assessor Chris LeVan chastises Glenbard High School District 87 Superintendent David Larson for bias claims in property tax assessment – W.J. Kennedy
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511247023-milton-township-tax-assessor-chastises-superintendent-for-bias-claims-in-property-tax-assessment

REAL GOP ILLINOIS
— Illinois GOP spends Rauner’s $4.5 million as if abortion bill HB 40 never happened
https://realgopillinois.com/2017/11/03/illinois-gop-doling-rauners-money-obedient-candidates/

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Rauner one of two most unpopular first term governors – Benjamin Yount
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/rauner-one-two-most-unpopular-first-term-governors/article_58287a0a-c097-11e7-a0ef-77a42febba08.html

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— PROTESTERS BLOCK PARADE, SHOVE POLICE OFFICER AT U OF ILLINOIS
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/11/video-protesters-block-parade-shove-police-officer-at-u-of-illinois.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Poll finds Rauner is fifth most unpopular governor
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/03/poll-finds-rauner-is-fifth-most-unpopular-governor/
— Sen. Link says Speaker Madigan lied
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/03/sen-link-says-speaker-madigan-lied/
— Rotheimer says Sen. Silverstein should resign
https://capitolfax.com/2017/11/03/rotheimer-says-sen-silverstein-should-resign/

BREITBART
— Google Employees Defend Discrimination Against Conservatives – ALLUM BOKHARI
http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2017/11/03/leak-google-employees-defend-discrimination-against-conservatives/
— Neighbor: ‘About 30 Men’ Regularly Gathered to Pray at Suspected NYC Terrorist’s House – JOHN HAYWARD
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/11/03/neighbor-about-30-men-regularly-gathered-pray-suspected-nyc-terrorists-house/

FOX NEWS
— GOP tax plan picks winners and losers – Chris Stirewalt
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/11/03/gop-tax-plan-picks-winners-and-losers.html

GOPUSA
— Bergdahl walks free with a dishonorable discharge and a fine (DIERSEN: Constructively, my Democrat GAO superiors gave me a dishonorable discharge. My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old. Previously, they had always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take an $18,847 pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. Constructively, more recently, my critics/opponents gave me a dishonorable discharge as a TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman in 2012, Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member in 2011, Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster in 2010 and 2004, Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member in 2007, and American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member in 2004.)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=32861
— Diversity is our terror
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=32856

NEW YORK TIMES
— U.S. Report Says Humans Cause Climate Change, Contradicting Top Trump Officials – Lisa Friedman (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats blame Republicans for everything that is bad, including bad weather.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/03/climate/us-climate-report.html

USA TODAY
— Trump’s voter fraud commission appears to have gone dark – Deborah Barfield Berry
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/03/trump-voter-fraud-election-commission-appears-have-gone-dark/827628001/

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say “Trump’s Talent for Remaining Unpopular — in This Economy — Is Truly Impressive.”
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/11/trumps-historic-unpopularity-triumphs-over-prosperity.html

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.