Subject: POLITICO Illinois Playbook, presented by Nuclear Matters: RAUNER protests hit home -- MCCASKEY asks RAHM about ‘Tiny Dancer’ -- JUDGE lets ‘Individual A’ in HASTERT suit stay anonymous
From: Natasha Korecki <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2016 05:43:06 -0600

04/29/2016 07:40 AM EDT

By Natasha Korecki ([email-masked]; @natashakorecki) with Manuela Tobias ([email-masked]; @manuelatobiasm)  

Good Friday morning, Illinois. We close out the week with a couple of demonstrations targeted at Gov. Bruce Rauner, a judge greenlighting a civil lawsuit against Dennis Hastert and the buzz around the NFL draft in Chicago was the Bears' newest addition: Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd. 

NOT GOOD OPTICS -- A group comprised by homeless individuals and advocates protested budget cuts and a lack of funding for the homeless while standing outside of a Chicago condo belonging to Rauner -- one of nine homes he owns. Rauner was also heckled at a stop at the University of Illinois. More on that below. 

Since it's Friday, let's start with our favorite (light) story of the week: 

SIR, YOUR LICENSE IS SUSPENDED, HOW DID YOU GET HERE? WELL ... -- "Illinois man says neigh to missing court date; arrives on horseback," by The Southern's Chris Lusvardi: "After missing a series of previously scheduled court appearances in Decatur, a Normal man came up with an old-fashioned way to make sure he was there Thursday for his latest one. Ronald Blalock II traveled about 50 miles on horseback from LeRoy to arrive with plenty of time to spare for a morning hearing at the Macon County Courts Complex in downtown Decatur. The horse waited on the lawn outside while Blalock, 38, went inside for a bond hearing stemming from charges of driving on a suspended driver's license." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6795dc826823d41d9069c6de0253a03c6c1c730aafab6e82cd 

FIRST LOOK: The group Americans for Prosperity was in the field this week asking potential voters about their views on a property tax freeze. Surprise! It's wildly popular, with 80 percent or more people in favor in many legislative districts. The survey, provided first to Illinois Playbook, also asked about the likelihood of supporting a lawmaker who opposes such a measure. Surprise again -- those polled said they were more likely to vote for someone who voted in favor of a freeze. 

Here's what AFP says about their reasoning behind the importance for a property tax freeze: "The message is indisputable- Illinoisans from all regions of the state, no matter which political affiliation, strongly favor a property tax freeze. Our elected leaders need to listen to their constituents and take the first step in alleviating the crushing property tax burden by freezing property taxes. The Illinois Senate has an opportunity in the coming weeks to pass legislation to do just that. They should honor the wishes of the voters and pass the freeze. Taxpayers have heard enough talk over the past few years, now is the time for action that provides real relief." 

How to pay for it? AFP suggests avenues backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner and rejected so far by Illinois House and Senate Dems who control both legislative chambers. "Legislators should also seek to help local governments deal with a property tax freeze by allowing them to embrace cost-saving reforms like prevailing wage and collective bargaining reforms. It is clear that taxpayers need property tax relief, but the legislature should also give local leaders maximum flexibility to control their spending." 

Review the polls by legislative district here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6715accb6cf7db8b25731c5ef1ea99e9eda937835f7968eec5 

MEANWHILE ...  

HOMELESS PROTEST OUTSIDE OF ONE OF RAUNER'S NINE HOMES -- "Homeless, Advocates Target Rauner Luxury Condo In Budget Protest," by CBS Chicago: "Homeless youth and advocates gathered outside one of Gov. Bruce Rauner's homes on Thursday, to call attention to the state budget impasse and its impact on programs for the homeless. The group lined up backpacks outside 340 on the Park, a high-rise condo building across the street from Maggie Daley Park. Rauner owns a condo there, and organizers of the demonstration said the governor uses that condo only for storage. 'We are out here in front of one of Governor Rauner's nine homes. He owns nine luxury homes, and yet there are thousands of homeless
 people around the state that have no homes, and the only places that they have to stay are in jeopardy,' said Julie Dworkin, policy director for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67e97447d7bd362d3807573d73d36db803793c423e3b406756 

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: Providing 90 percent of Illinois' carbon-free electricity, nuclear energy plants play a vital role in achieving our clean-energy and carbon-reduction goals. Illinois' nuclear energy fleet supports approximately 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and contributes nearly $9 billion to the state's economy. Learn more at NuclearMatters.com. ** 

RAUNER HECKLED IN URBANA, VISIT CUT SHORT -- "Gov. Rauner Heckled at Univ. of Illinois Visit," by Illinois Public Radio: "Governor Bruce Rauner's appearance at the University of Illinois Urbana campus Thursday was cut short by demonstrators who heckled him about the state budget impasse. The governor was on campus to congratulate students who excelled in bringing new technology to market. He promised better times for the U of I, once a budget agreement was reached in Springfield. But the applause Rauner received competed with demonstrators who held signs, chanted slogans and pounded on walls." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e677e2f07aa4b9d80e4542873d5431d37ec2f789196cc35fc5d 

Welcome to the POLITICO Illinois Playbook. Have a tip, event, announcement, endorsement? Send to [email-masked] or @natashakorecki 

SUBSCRIBE to Illinois Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e676bbd38d6fafc45b2c241166ed31c6fdc0eeb9e790f907557 

RAHM TO MCCASKEY: SHHHHH. 'TINY DANCER' IS MY CODE NAME -- Chicago Tribune's John Kass: "Which brings me to Rahm's Tiny Dancer moutza at the NFL draft in Grant Park. Rahm and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were at a photo op this week when up walked Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey. Tribune photographer Anthony Souffle was there taking photos. Here's how he described it in an email: 'As the three of them stood together, McCaskey leans in and says something to the effect of: 'What's this I hear about you being called Tiny Dancer?' Ouch!!!! Emanuel studied dance at college, hence the nickname he hates. 'The moment he said it you could see the embarrassment on Emanuel's face,' Souffle
 continued. 

'He leaned in and explained that it's his security detail code name, and then, I think-he was talking pretty quietly at this point-Emanuel said something about how he was hoping it would be 'Blackhawk,' or he was trying to get them to change it to Blackhawk, or something. You could tell though he was super embarrassed to be called out in front of Goodell." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e677db3a63659b88bb01d600ffb0d60859a2624ea5842c5632b 

'FRIENDS OF THE PARKING LOT' MAKE THEIR MARK -- "Friends of the Parks saved a parking lot but effectively killed the Lucas Museum," by The Reader's John Greenfield: "Barring some unforeseen generosity by Lucas, it appears his museum bid is dead in the water. That's largely due to FOTP's effort to stop the city from replacing a parking lot with a cultural institution and parkland ... Given this outcome, I asked FOTP whether its actions have conflicted with the group's stated goals. 'We don't agree with the simplistic premise of your question,' responded director Irizarry. 'The issue of parking lots in parks is a complex public policy issue, not just a simple sound bite. Parking lots are
 often an issue of park access, and they sometimes generate revenue for the Chicago Park District. All of [this] must be considered.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67a16f1f03be417a40c3be6f830ad08ad35ab364cc1b181f35 

CHICAGO'S THIRD WORLD COUNTRY STATS -- "Chicago's African-American community is in crisis," by Crain's Samuel Scott III: "The black community in Chicago is in crisis. Let me start with a few facts: In 2015, there were 399 homicides in the African-American community in the city, 80 percent of Chicago's total. There were 3,046 shootings. Over 80 percent of the victims were African-Americans. And the first quarter of 2016 is worse. ... These sound more like numbers in a Third World country than a part of our city, yet the statistics represent one-third of the population of Chicago. Many of you have run businesses or large organizations that are successful. If the Chicago black community issue
 were a business or a business problem, we would address it in a totally different way." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6728cb9966e1cfe42247d6173f2cc95294972d59b27571f4ca 

THE PHOTO WITH THIS PIECE TELLS THE STORY -- "Bullet Rips Past Sleeping Couple In Humboldt Park, Just Misses Their Heads," by DNAinfo's Kelly Bauer: "A Humboldt Park couple is still in shock after a bullet flew through their home, crashing into the wall just inches above where they slept. Dave, who asked not to have his last name used out of safety concerns, said he and his wife were sleeping when they heard loud noises at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Unsure what had happened, he got up after a few minutes and looked around his house in the 1200 block of North Kedzie, checking windows to see if they had been shot." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e678a40018b6650ce6c6772f40e250fba7cbe498c8a02e8f07f 

GIFFORDS TALKS GUNS IN CHICAGO -- "Ex-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Chicago to back gun bill," by Chicago Sun-Times' Mitch Dudek: "Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords visited Chicago Thursday to support state legislation calling for tighter restrictions on gun dealers to ensure firearms don't end up in the hands of criminals. Giffords' voice may not be as strong as it was prior to the 2011 assassination attempt that left her with a bullet wound in the head, but it carries a lot of weight. 'Now is the time to come together, to be responsible,' Giffords said Tuesday at a Near North Side Chicago Park District fieldhouse. 'Democrats, Republicans, everyone. We must never stop
 fighting. Fight! Fight! Fight! Be bold. Be courageous. The nation's counting on you.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67f0eacc2302419c11f019a776cb51b728f1e943335a9bba84 

RAHM'S 'FLASHY BUT VAGUE PROMISES' -- "On police reform, it's back to business as usual for the mayor," by Chicago Reporter's Curtis Black: "Mayor Rahm Emanuel ... response to the recommendations of his own Police Accountability Task Force ... was back to business as usual: appoint a commission and ignore its most significant conclusions, then hold a press conference with a long list of flashy but vague promises... 

"Emanuel needs to recall that it was business as usual that created the crisis in the first place: his own record of tolerating and defending the police department's code of silence and of prioritizing 'proactive policing' over human rights, coddling the police unions at the expense of the public interest, and paying exorbitant legal settlements while turning a blind eye to underlying police misconduct ... And critically, Emanuel needs to understand that business as usual means continuing accountability failures, widespread alienation from law enforcement, and in the worst case, more unnecessary deaths, particularly of black Chicagoans." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e676949affe2b179cc3e03d00fe2410131b3e17253c95af5cf9 

WHITE DONOR CLASS IN CHICAGO -- "How a tiny sliver of the population pays for local elections," by The Week's Ryan Cooper: "In a nutshell: Rahm Emanuel relied overwhelming on large donations from a very nearly exclusively white pool of donors - who also, as further analysis shows, largely live in the same few rich wards of the city (save for non-Chicagoans, as Emanuel also did a lot of fundraising outside the city). Even Garcia's donors were disproportionately white, though to a much lesser extent. 'We expected going in there would be some demographic disparities,' McElwee told The Week. 'But Chicago might be unique in how bad it is.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e670f5a2bfe1a83b1c349a9c93ba82f44f0a9dcacadda7d0945 

BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS YES -- "Should Chicagoans Have Known Rahm Emanuel Wouldn't Be a Progressive Mayor?" by Chicago Magazine's Whet Moser: "I took all the scores, for both systems, of all the Democrats in the House for the 110th Congress (thanks to my colleague Luke Seemann for the visual). That was Emanuel's last term, ending in 2009, in which he represented the state's 5th District, a safe Democratic seat with a Cook Partisan Voting Index Score of D+18, meaning the district votes 18 percentage points more Democratic than the nation as a whole. Where did Rahm fall on the spectrum? Dead center among the Democratic Party." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67eea8ea82243e6dc48be85db7adc7a0aa7c4c900e04da402e 

YOU CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS. NOW WHAT'S YOUR NAME? -- "Kendall County Judge Wants to Know Name of Hastert Victim," by Patch.com's Scott Viau: A Kendall County judge has said that the man who is suing for the rest of his hush money from Dennis Hastert can remain anonymous, but wants to know what his name is. That man, known as James Doe, or Individual A, sued Hastert after he stopped making the agreed upon payments that would total $3.5 million. Hastert was indicted by the FBI around the time he had paid $1.7 million, with $1.8 left to go. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison Wednesday in federal court. Judge Robert Pilmer told Kristi Brown, Doe's attorney, to 'refile the complaint with A's
 real name, but said it would remain sealed' ... so he would know if he has to recuse himself from the case." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6726e85861a395e100951983de6c4b2d58250aec5afe0888ee 

STATE  

HOME HEALTH CARE COULD FACE CRISIS -- "Advocates fear chaos after Rauner home health care ruling," by The Associated Press' John O'connor: "An Associated Press analysis of records obtained from the Department of Human Services under the Freedom of Information Act shows that overtime pay could cost the state $14 million a year. Up to half of that could be covered by federal Medicaid reimbursement, but the state doesn't know how many clients qualify. The AP analysis shows that of 24,000 home workers, 27 percent worked more than 40 hours one or more times during the first half of the year which began July 1. On average, each claimed an extra 166 hours through early January - paid at the
 regular, straight-time rate. Annualized at time-and-a-half, that's about $2,000 more per person." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67fe135e416f630f2653635b53f14ec41112fb99dec8d3fc0d 

CAN ILLINOIS GET TO PENNSYLVANIA? -- "Illinois Issues: Budget Impasse Not Over Yet," by NPR's Charles N. Wheeler III: "Last November, disgruntled voters in a Rust Belt state beset by economic decline, budget shortfalls and pension woes, booted their incumbent governor - one of the least popular in the nation - out of office. In his place, citizens chose a political neophyte, an Ivy League grad who'd never before run for public office and who promised to run the state like the businessman he was. For better or worse, the same voters gave solid legislative majorities to the other political party, setting up a monumental test of wills culminating in a budget impasse, which left the state with
 no spending plan many months into the new budget year. Sound familiar? ... the setting for the narrative is Pennsylvania, where the protagonists are a mirror image of Illinois, with a Democratic governor and strong Republican majorities in both legislative chambers." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67ed38541838f8b8ef91dc010bca0046506a32484cd73051d7 

FREEZE ON FUNDS COULD DOOM AMTRAK PROJECT -- "Editorial: Rauner must act on Amtrak buildout," by Quad-City Times editorial board: "U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos brought home the bacon, but Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner would rather watch it rot. A hugely important Amtrak expansion that would reinstate passenger service between the Quad-Cities and Chicago is suddenly in doubt due to years of state inaction. The federal funds are still available, in no small part to the two-term Democrat's work on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. But Gov. Bruce Rauner's freeze on state funds, amid the budgetary turmoil, could doom the project." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67bd069582b86db8b59ef4ecb19044c3332f84db79788da2f7 

WELL THEN. -- "Boehner: Cruz is 'Lucifer in the flesh'" by POLITICO's Nick Gass: "When it comes to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, even a few months' time out of Congress has done little to lessen former House Speaker John Boehner's contempt for his former Capitol Hill colleague. 'Lucifer in the flesh,' Boehner told an audience at Stanford on Wednesday night, according to the Stanford Daily. 'I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6735fc7a525132203a935ceea742d43477f771423a94275c2d 

WHERE'S RAHM? No public events. 

WHERE'S RAUNER? At Thompson Center in the morning to sign "Executive Order to Improve Agency Efficiency." 

EVENTS Courtesy of IntelligentEvent @Chi_Intellevent  
 
TODAY: Diplomatic Encounters: His Excellency Gerard Araud Ambassador of France to the United States - Institute of Politics - His Excellency Gerard Araud, Ambassador of France to the United States, will share his insights on the challenges facing the EU and the prospects for multilateral alliances. 

SATURDAY: Citizen Watchdog Training - AFP Illinois - Learn how to use publicly-available information and the state's Open Meetings and Freedom of Information Law to hold government officials accountable. 

Camp Congress for Girls Chicago 2016 - Girls in Politics Initiative - The Girls in Politics Initiative ("GIP") is an international civic education program created and administered by the Political Institute for Women. Our GIP programs introduce girls ages 8 to 17 to politics, policy, the work of the United States Congress, parliamentary governments and the work of the United Nations. 

** A Message from Nuclear Matters: Some of America's existing nuclear energy plants face early closure due to current economic and policy conditions. Providing more than 62% of America's carbon-free electricity, existing, state-of-the-art nuclear energy plants play a vital role in achieving our clean-energy and carbon-reduction goals.

In Illinois, nuclear energy plants provide 48 percent of the state's electricity and 90 percent of our carbon-free electricity. The existing nuclear energy plants in Illinois also support approximately 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $9 billion to the state's economy.

If we want to keep Illinois working, we need policies that will keep Illinois' state-of-the-art nuclear energy plants working for all of us. Join us at NuclearMatters.com. ** 

FOR MORE political and policy news from POLITICO Illinois, visit: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67c099f8d7c4bee9ced9cdfb1325ff6e553084437dc895f064 

SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67b4e669dd0328d629cdd5012e711e7c4eab40609fdf0b82ae ... New York Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67accc57a3ff56318586d69fcabacc65159ae879e33097ed63 ... Florida Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67ea05056cd26456a4dc6f9f470d39a7a14d0eb2011e1dec24 ... New Jersey Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67fb980d8449fdf1af1c89b9ff06a607707014b125ce7a011f ... Massachusetts Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e671a9788b5e7e4feae0f659bf4e4d2d854977fc3ee52578cf0 ... Illinois Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e676927f451e6554093f02d8494bc0084b30a2a3c98c19d93cc ... California Playbook: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6742b6da3c0a96216c42bc60a135df039effc737da657bfe91 and our friends at POLITICO Brussels Playbook:
 http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6733cc2217ccfc222b98ef1fd4795f882602dd83a095201724 ... All our policy and political tipsheets 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e670ab166f005726d22876f6131637d3b93b384b91b0a87df9e 

THE MEDIA ISSUE- POLITICO MAGAZINE ONLINE TODAY: As Washington prepares for the final White House Correspondents Dinner of the Obama Administration, POLITICO Magazine's MEDIA ISSUE takes a look at how the press has contributed to the rise of GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Jack Shafer, Susan Mulcahy, Michael Grunwald, Michael Crowley and Campbell Brown are just some of the contributors to this must-read issue. Read here-http://politi.co/1aH8bTl 

To view online:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e6725825e4044ba839916e0c2d6fe6c120000f104fa85f87699
 To change your alert settings, please go to http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=21991a05dc5f3e67efe9fb36fe40c0b538eeb596d40499c9aa58e303497b91fc or http://click.politicoemail.com/profile_center.aspx?qs=57cf03c73f21c5ef65b9c058ca0f6cfa66691761e73177ec6323e52b3a68520145a702ade553424226dab6b6c41815bbef22aa185a5c147aThis email was sent to [email-masked] by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

To unsubscribe,http://www.politico.com/_unsubscribe?e=00000154-61d1-dc4e-ad76-6bf98eb10000&u=0000014e-f112-dd93-ad7f-f917a8270002&s=e19aeb65e73d4f601f8862d1be92ef32e99f07ded2b4b5643646e256116e023f9dda4d5cc3b2a78712f84a3a43ab79d3210b1603c1706592a71a0a9dd8607add