Pay-To-Play, Joe Moore and Heather Steans

Chicago Alderman Joe Moore screamed "F--- You!" at a V.I.P. reception with Illinois Governor Quinn on Saturday, June 21. Why? He was upset over being denied entrance to a V.I.P. reception because he did not buy a $200 ticket for the event. While storming out, he growled at Gov. Quinn, "This is pay-to-play!" The hypocrisy of Moore's behavior (not to mention the weirdness) is rich indeed. (Read more about that story...) If that's what Moore describes as "pay-to-play," then he's as guilty as anybody. Moore's birthday is July 16. It is typical for Moore to send invitations to his birthday party with one little catch: You'll be asked for a "suggested donation." In 2007, that meant shelling out $125.00 for grilled hot dogs and boring conversation. That's Moore's house on the day of his birthday party on July 16, 2007 (5:15 p.m.). Notice the festive Joe Moore campaign signs in the yard, perfect for any birthday celebration or pay-to-play party. In addition to his for-profit birthday parties, Ald. Moore has a reputation for pressing business people for "donations" to his campaign fund. "Pay-to-play" is a game Moore knows well, as does his little friend Heather Steans. Steans is an Illinois State Senator who, over the years and with help from her husband, facilitated the funneling of around $200,000 to Rod Blagojevich. She doesn't like to admit it, but there it is, in the public record. That's an inconvenient truth for Steans, as she earnestly pretends to be a pure-hearted reformer who would never participate in such dirty games (she's not, and she has). That brings us back to Joe Moore... Of Hosts and Parasites: Moore is on the Host Committee of an upcoming fundraising event for Steans. The fundraiser invitation, laughably, is a parody of the television show "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" That's the show that on which Patti Blagojevich, wife of the former governor Rod Blagojevich, has been busy eating bugs with has-been celebrities. Steans and most of the folks on her Host Committee were staunch Blagojevich supporters until it became too uncomfortable for them to continue in that role. The Steans invitation indirectly mocks Blagojevich, but unintentionally points out the hypocrisy of Steans and those on her Host Committee. The Steans invitation says "I'm a Politician, Get Me Out of Here!" On Monday, June 29 folks will gather at 50 W. Washington Street, Suite 400 in Chicago. That's the office of Jeanne Reynolds, an Associate Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court. Reynolds is also the current president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. (Say, isn't that sexist? Is there a "Men's Bar Association of Illinois?") If you need directions to the Steans fundraiser, you could phone Ms. Reynolds' office at 312-603-1249. That's Reynolds in the photo (in the pink thing), with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (under the forehead) at the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois’ 94th Annual Installation Dinner in Chicago, June 5, 2008. If you would like to attend the Steans fundraiser, you have several options. Would you like to be an "Island Rescuer?" It will cost you $2,000. Other options are "Island Host" for $1,000, "Producer" for $500 and "Celebrity" for a mere $100. If you want to attend, you'll have to pay. You don't pay, you can't play. (See how that works, Joe?) That's exactly what Ald. Moore was so upset about when he screamed "F--- You!" at the IVI-IPO folks on June 20. How do you think Steans - or Moore - would react to somebody who sends Steans a check for $100, but insists that they be given "Producer" status? Chicago is a city of "pay-to-play" politics. Do you want to build a new store or add on to an existing building? A "donation" to your local alderman is likely to speed the process up. No "donation" is likely to slow you down, maybe even kill the project. Are you an aspiring politician who wants to run for office in Chicago or Cook County? You'll need the endorsement of the Democrat Party, the iron-fisted "machine" that decides who will be a candidate and who will not. Want to attend a Joe Moore birthday party or a Heather Steans fundraiser? You'll have to pay to play. Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Sen. Heather Steans, Money Whore

Note: The following invitation text is real. The graphic at left is a parody of the real one, which is further down. Click to enlarge. From: Friends of Heather Steans Subject: I'm a Politician Get me Out of Here! Reply-To: info@heathersteans.com Host Committee (In Formation) Hon. Carol Ronen Hon. Greg Harris Hon. Harry Osterman Hon. Larry Suffredin Hon. Mary Ann Smith Hon. Joe Moore Hon. Helen Shiller Hon. Patrick O'Connor Hon. Gene Schulter Amy Brennan Michael Carrigan Sue Clark Dennis Gannon David Manning Mike McClain Phil Milsk John Peller Jenny Purdue Bruce Simon Dan Sprehe Robin Steans and Lenny Gail Jennifer Steans and Jim Kastenholz Lois and Helen Morrison Rob Uhe Beth White Dear family and friends, This invitation is for my upcoming fundraiser. This is the only event I have planned. No worries if you can not make it or support my campaign, but your attendance and/or any contribution you can make I very much appreciate. I am up for re-election in February for the primary (I will at some point get a four year term!), and thus your help means a great deal. Many thanks for your consideration, Heather What: Yes, a fundraiser for Heather! Where: 50 West Washington, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois When: Monday, June 29, 2009, 5:00 - 7:00 pm Island Rescuer: $2000 Island Host: $1000 Producer: $500 Celebrity: $100 RSVP by e-mailing info@heathersteans.com, calling 773-681-1814, or making a contribution at www.heathersteans.com or by clicking here. Paid for by Friends of Heather Steans. A copy of our report is, or will be filed with the State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois. Friends of Heather Steans 5539 N. Broadway Chicago IL 60640 Comments... Visit Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Hey! ChiNewsBench is on Twitter

Lou Susman, Obama's Pay to Play Ambassador

Say what you will about Barack Obama, the guy has no class. He's a Chicago politician through and through, and he just can't help following the Pay To Play Rule Book. One of the rules in that book: Reward your big contributors in a way commensurate with the amount of money they raise for you. That's what Obama has done with his recent appointment of Chicago money man Lou "The Vacuum Cleaner" Susman. He was a major money bundler for Obama (surprise!). Friend Carol Felsenthal has a great column in the Huffington Post about this pay-to-play ambassador to our friends across the pond: Last March I posted here that Obama's probable pick for the most prestigious of ambassadorships--the Court of St. Jame's- was going to Chicagoan and retired investment banker Louis B. Susman. Susman, 71, is so talented at raising money for Democrats--he was John Kerry's national finance chairman and an early money man for Obama--that he was nicknamed "the Vacuum Cleaner" or "the Hoover" during the Kerry campaign, and "the Big Bundler" during the Obama campaign. Full Post by Felsenthal... Say, comrade, is blatant cronyism more of that "change" thing you voted for? RELATED: Special Relationship Fretting: Ambassadorial Edition Obama crony, king-maker Lou Susman goes to London « RBO Obama's Wall Street Buddies - Deal Journal - WSJ What Obama's Asian Ambassador Picks Reveal Obama's Crony Diplomacy Embassy Row Leave a Comment on our Guestbook! CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Pat Quinn Just Another Dirty Politician?

Just another Illinois Democrat, after all, that Pat Quinn, governor successor to Rod Blagojevich. Seems he ain't as clean as his public image has painted him. This, from AP: Gov. Pat Quinn said Friday a campaign aide made an embarrassing mistake by calling Springfield interest groups to raise political money and denied any intention of demanding contributions in exchange for special access to him. Big hat tip to Marathon Pundit, who adds his own excellent commentary including this: Here's some history: Thirteen years ago, none other than then-Congressman Dick Durbin accused Quinn of being a ghost-payroller in the Dan Walker administration. Quinn denies that charge. The more things "change" in Illinois, the more they stay the same. By the way, Illinois, you ready for the big fat tax hike from Governor Quinn? Happy Memorial Day. Leave a Comment on our Guestbook! CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Prediction: Indictment for Jesse Jackson Jr.

April 14, 2009 - Fifteen minutes from now, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will appear in court before U.S. District Judge James Zagel. It will be his first court appearance since he was indicted earlier this month on 16 felony charges. Blago says he will plead "not guilty" to the counts, which include racketeering conspiracy and extortion conspiracy. Blago's arraignment is set for 11:00 am at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. (Source)

Meanwhile, the son of racist extortionist "Reverend" Jesse Jackson is up to his neck in accusations and getting a lot of his own unfavorable press this week. For months there has been speculation that Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) might be guilty of pay-for-play antics in an alleged attempt to buy his way into Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat.

On April 13, the Chicago Sun-Times ran a story that seems to disspell any doubt that Junior Jackson is allegedly (there, the legal crap is out of the way) guilty as hell.

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s camp was told last year that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) would raise up to $5 million in campaign cash for the ex-governor if he was appointed to President Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. The overture came from at least two members of the local Indian community who approached the Blagojevich fund-raising team last fall, sources say.

Bad news for JJ, Jr. Questions arise, of course. One question: Where the hell would he get that kind of money? The answer: Daddy. The good reverend, you see, is rich. He got his money, in large part, by underhanded means. For example:

Last year [2000], Jackson billed the charities he controls $614,000 for "travel expenses." When asked to explain this extraordinary figure, he says that he often spends more than 200 days per year traveling on charitable business. Yet even if we make the charitable assumption that this figure doesn't include any direct padding of Jackson's self-reported $430,000 annual income, this still works out to nearly $3,000 per day. (Source: Rocky Mountain News via Skeptictank)

When he's not using charities as a personal ATM, Rev. Jackson is likely to be plotting his next extortion scheme. One of those schemes was the magnificently successful squeezing of brewer Anheuser-Busch.

Jackson, whose attempt to boycott Anheuser-Busch failed in 1982, was invoked by black employees of a company beer distributorship in Chicago, who believed they were being discriminated against. In what many observers saw as a blatant (and successful) attempt to buy racial peace from Jackson, Anheuser-Busch awarded the lucrative distributorship (with revenues of between $30 million and $40 million a year) to Jackson's sons. (Source: National Review Online)

So, the money is there. The Jacksons are quite wealthy. What's five million bucks to put your son in the U.S. Congress? I'm not saying that Jesse Senior offered up the five million dollars that was allegedly offered to Blagojevich. I'm just saying that if that was the case, the money was easily obtainable.

Back to the April 13 Sun-Times story:

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. denies allowing anyone to make pay-to-play offers for President Obama's U.S. Senate seat to then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich on his behalf. (Brian Jackson/Sun-Times) Besides the $5 million to be raised by Jackson, the proposal also included another $1 million for Blagojevich’s campaign fund that would come from Indian donors, sources say.

The Sun-Times report is damning. Jackson Junior keeps saying that he has done nothing wrong. That might be true. But why, then, are so many people, such as "at least two members of the local Indian community" and others, coming forward to say that Junior is guilty as hell?

BOMBSHELL - Burris Admits Fundraising for Blago

The Chicago Tribune is reporting now: U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has acknowledged he sought to raise campaign funds for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the request of the governor’s brother at the same time he was making a pitch to be appointed to the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama. FULL BOMBSHELL... Even as Democrats and Republicans alike are calling for his head, or a full investigation at least, Burris is touring around Illinois in a mini-Blago-like public relations effort. Unlike Blago, however, Burris is not good on camera. Say what you will about Blago, he's got a presence and can generally hold his own in an interview. Burris, on the other hand, looks like a frightened rabbit. He should be frightened. The hounds are unleashed, and they smell blood. Lying liars. Culture of Corruption. Remember those phrases? RELATED: Roland Burris received about $1.2 million in loans from businessman during gubernatorial bid Should Roland Burris be the newest Senator from Illinois? (Sister Toldjah) CNB RSS Feed

Burris: Just Anotha Playa

Roland Burris was sworn in today as Illinois' junior U.S. Senator. Score one for Blago, score another for pay-to-play. Burris is no innocent when it comes to tit for tat. To wit (emphasis added): Burris and his companies have donated over $20,000 to Governor Blagojevich, his lobbying clients have donated over $100,000, and Burris himself endorse Blagojevich for re-election in 2006, saying, “I think he’s doing a helluva job”. Just recently on NBC’s “Today Show”, Burris refused to call on Governor Blagojevich to resign. So writes Andy McKenna today at We Are Illinois. McKenna, chairman of the Illinois GOP, continued: Burris has been amply repaid for his loyalty. His consulting firm received almost $300,000 in state contracts under Blagojevich, his lobbying clients received over $3 million in state contracts, his nephew was hired for a cushy state job, and finally, Burris received a Senate seat that he could never have won in an election. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Subscribe to Chicago News Bench

Capitol Fax Finds Heather Steans "Refreshing"

I generally respect the political reporting on The Capitol Fax Blog, but am a bit disappointed as I read yesterday's "Inauguration Open Thread" by Rich Miller. Several things are disturbing, a lot really, about the item. Most disturbing is the velvet glove treatment of state senator Heather Steans, who has donated insane amounts of money to both Blagojevich and Emil Jones. Miller is generally an excellent correspondent and writer, and so the breathless, awe-struck Medill-journalism-student-like way in which he wrote the report makes one wonder if he had too little sleep the night before. The title of the post is odd. The subject matter of "Inauguration Open Thread" is not about the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama at all, except for one passing reference to it. Rather, it's about the action in the Illinois Legislature and the Senate's moves toward impeaching Blagojevich. The post is a presented as a timeline, of sorts, of Wednesday's action in the state senate. Let's look some out takes, with breathlessness and velvet gloves in bold red. Again, the atmosphere in the chamber is completely solumn [sic]. It’s a fascinating experience. The schedule is being adopted now, including a mandated respond by the governor by Jan. 20th - Obama’s inauguration day. I'm not sure why solemnity is so fascinating in this context. Miller might have been writing about a state funeral for a beloved national leader. Ellis is finished and now the chief justice is being escorted into the senate. He will then be sworn in as the trial’s presiding officer. I have never heard such quiet in this chamber. Very solemn. Again, Miller's odd fascination with the solemnity and "quiet" in the senate chamber. The moment was, after all, very serious. It would only have been remarkable had the senators in the chamber not been solemn, but for them to be quiet and solemn yesterday was only to be expected and only appropriate. Even the crooks of Springfield are civilized enough to not laugh at a man as he is being escorted in chains to the gallows. Sen. Steans has shown once again why she is fast gaining respect here. She just openly and refreshingly addressed the upcoming impeachment trial and Emil Jones’ failures. As for describing Steans' speechifying as "refreshingly," Miller might better have used adjectives such as disgustingly, hypocritically, self aggrandizingly or cynically. There are more adjectives that would have been better than "refreshingly," but we only have so much space and time to work with here. The big question is why Miller chose "refreshingly" to describe Steans' talk about the upcoming Senate trial of Blagojevich, a man to whom she and husband Leo Smith have donated some $200,000 to for his campaigns? "Openly?" Did Steans come clean about her mega-donations to Rod Blagojevich, Emil Jones and John Cullerton? Surely, Rich Miller is aware that Steans enabled Jones and has been a major donor to him. Surely he read the Chicago Tribune editorial, "The Blagojevich 26," on January 4, 2009. It said (emphasis added): We're in this disheartening situation because of choices Blagojevich has made. We're here, too, because so many members of the Illinois Senate have enabled him. They had the chance to let us vote him out of office. They sided with him, and against the people of the state. Why did so many senators kowtow to Jones and Blagojevich? What were these Democrats thinking? You can ask them. Here are the 21 Democrats who voted no or present (the effect was the same), denying you a choice on whether Illinois should have a recall amendment... The Trib listed the names of the Blago enablers. The list included the "refreshing" Heather Steans and Emil Jones. Steans has also given frantic funds to John Cullerton. Rich Miller thinks Heather Steans is "refreshing." Maybe his memory will be refreshed by these numbers: Money that Heather Steans and her family have given to Emil Jones, (Illinois Senate Democratic Fund, Emil Jones, chair) (2002 thru present): $53,500 to Jones from Heather Steans (and husband Leo Smith, 2002 thru present) $35,000 to Jones from Leo's PAC $ 2,500 to Illinois Senate Democratic Fund $91,000 so far (the January 20 reports may reveal more) Money that Heather Steans and her family have given to John Cullerton, (Senate Democratic Victory Fund [SDVF], John Cullerton, chair): $25,000 to SDVF from Friends of Heather Steans $15,000 to SDVF from Heather Steans and Leo Smith $ 2,000 to Cullerton from Heather Steans and Leo Smith $ 1,000 to Cullerton from Leo Smith's PAC $25,000 to Cullerton from Harrison and Lois Steans (Heather's parents) $20,000 to Cullerton from Heather Steans' sisters $88,000 so far (the January 20 reports may reveal more) "All but $3,000 was given in anticipation of Cullerton's presidency," a source tells Chicago News Bench. Miller's blog from Springfield continued: No applause at all for the guv’s entrance. Total silence, in fact. Yes, for God's sake, we get it, they were solemn, oh-so-solemn. And why would they applaud Blago, anyway? It's seems a waste of bandwidth to note the obvious. Although Miller has emphasized repeatedly that the event was solemn and quiet, as opposed to festive and boisterous, he ends his post with this curiosity: ....WUIS radio will broadcast the Senate’s festivities, which will be presided over by the governor. "Festivities?" Wait a sec, was this "solemn?" But the Senate trial will be "festive?" Solemn or festive? Unlike Heather Steans, Rich, you can't have it both ways. RELATED: See Heather Carry Water For The Machine Subscribe to Chicago News Bench

Contractors Gave Blago $80,000 (Steans Gave Him $200,000)

We are shocked (not!) to read a report that Blago got some big bucks from road contractors. The amount, $80,000, is a small fraction of what Queen of Pay To Play, State Senator Heather Steans, has given Blago. Steans and hubby Leo Smith have given Blago some $200,000 for his election campaigns. Unlike the questionable contractors, however, Steans will actually be one of those who will soon be judging Blago in his upcoming Illinois Senate trial. Think about that: It would be like Bugsy Siegel sitting on a jury, judging Al Capone. An Associated Press review of campaign contributions shows Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich raised at least $80,000 from firms with state road contracts at a time federal prosecutors claim he was trying to cash in on construction programs. (Source) Subscribe to Chicago News Bench

Video: The Pay-To-Play Song!

Corruption in government is nothing to sing about. Or is it? The Blue State Cowboys think it is, and they came up with a very clever song about the dung heap of politics in Chicago and Illinois. This is funny as heck, and a darned good tune too. Check out the lyrics, below, then check out their video on YouTube. Chicago's Blue State Cowboys offer their musical take on the political cesspool once known as The Land of Lincoln. PAY TO PLAY (But Keep Love In Your Heart) Matt Farmer VERSE All my life I've been a workin' man On Chicago's northwest side Livin' check to check, never gettin' ahead No matter how hard I tried I had an old friend from the neighborhood He grew up to do just fine He couldn't read or write to save his life But I guess his boss didn't mind Now, I never quite knew what my old friend did To get that money rollin' in But life, I guess, can be pretty good For a state committeeman So, one night over beer at the local bar I said, "How'd you make your dough?" My friend just grinned a wicked grin And said, "Here's all you need to know" CHORUS You've got to pay-to-play in this town If you wanna make that deal go down It's who you know inside the Big Machine Just find the man that's behind the man And put some money in his hand That's how we try to keep our city green VERSE Well, the liquor flowed and the stories flew And my old friend bared his soul About rigging bids and getting neighbor kids Good jobs on a ghost payroll He said he'd be happy to help me out If there was anything he could do Like try to arrange a zoning change Or put me on a movie crew Well we talked and talked until last call And I told him I was beat Then he climbed aboard his hired truck To see a man about a Senate seat And late that night as I lay in bed You know I finally figured it out My friend didn't need to read or write 'Cuz he had himself some clout CHORUS You've got to pay-to-play in this town If you wanna make that deal go down It's who you know inside the Big Machine Just find the man that's behind the man And put some money in his hand That's how we try to keep our city green CHORUS You've got to pay-to-play in this town If you wanna make that deal go down It's who you know inside the Big Machine If you wanna stand out You gotta know who gets the handout That's how we try to keep our city green It's a daily job to keep our city green Subscribe to Chicago News Bench

Enabling Blagojevich

"Many of the next legislature's 59 state senators have been serial enablers of the governor," writes the Chicago Tribune in a bull's eye editorial today (Jan. 4, 2009). The Tribune notes that 26 Illinois state legislators helped deny voters the chance to get a recall amendment. Had that happened, we could all be voting Blago out soon. All but one of those anti-democratic legislators are (trumpet blare, please) Democrats. While hypocritical politicians all over Illinois are making hyperdrive attempts to fool voters into thinking that they are shocked (shocked!) at the alleged pay-to-play behavior of Blago the Blatant, they have in fact been some of his most loyal enablers.

"Eight months later, here we are, having to rely on the legislature to impeach and convict a governor the people cannot recall. Don't forget who brought us here." - Chicago Tribune editorial, January 4, 2009

Take state rep Heather Steans, for example, who poses as a Woman of the People. Steans helped direct some $200,000 to Blagojevich's campaign coffers over time. Now, like others, she wants you to believe that the game she herself has played so well is shocking (shocking!). The Tribune names names: Here are the 21 Democrats who voted no or present (the effect was the same), denying you a choice on whether Illinois should have a recall amendment: Michael Bond, James Clayborne Jr., Jacqueline Collins, John Cullerton, James DeLeo, Deanna Demuzio, William Haine, Don Harmon, Mike Jacobs, Emil Jones Jr., Kimberly Lightford, Terry Link, Iris Martinez, James Meeks, Antonio Munoz, Michael Noland, Kwame Raoul, Heather Steans, John Sullivan, Donne Trotter, A.J. Wilhelmi The Tribune notes that four state senators (all Democrats) are on record as not voting: Gary Forby, Mattie Hunter, Martin Sandoval and Louis Viverito. Oh, there was one "Republican," too: Chris Lauzen. The Trib notes that Lauzen "thought it more important to attend a pension conference in Philadelphia than to vote in Springfield." The voters are being screwed by these people. The voters, however, have nobody to blame for themselves. When will Illinois voters wake up and stop voting for these people?

Shiller's Money

Chicago Alderman Helen Shiller, (Democrat, 46th Ward) is widely disliked in her northside fiefdom, which includes Uptown. She's anti-CAPS, anti-police, and allegedly harasses merchants who disagree with her. Now, a new web site called "HelensMoney.com" describes itself as "a group of Uptown residents who are tired of Helen Shiller’s Chicago style pay-to-play politics." "Pay-to-play?" You mean, that happens in Chicago? Well, of course it does, and we mean "of course" literally. Pay-to-play is a matter of course and a typical method of operation for Chicago politicians, as the whole world is finally learning by way of the Rezko-Obama-Blagojevich-And Others scandals. Hat tip: Uptown Update