Political Asylum: Inmates coming, inmates going
SPRINGFIELD – Consternation over prisoners getting out. Controversy over prisoners coming in. Accusations of flip-flopping and misconduct.
A look at the week in Illinois politics:
Off message
Instead of getting to focus on jobs or endorsements, Gov. Pat Quinn spent a lot of time answering questions about his Corrections Department quietly releasing some inmates after just a few days or weeks behind bars.
Initially, the administration defended the program. Then Quinn halted it. Then he denied the policy had ever been a secret but couldn’t show it had ever been disclosed publicly. Then Quinn said he told Corrections not to include violent criminals. Then he appointed a former judge to review the whole thing.
His political opponents jumped all over Quinn’s handling of the program and the questions about it. Fellow Democrat Dan Hynes talked about the issue day after day, even announcing that he had filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get a complete list of the inmates who were released.
Hot button
Another prison issue got national attention and stirred up candidates in races from Illinois governor to Senate and the Congress. That was the Obama administration’s announcement of plans to buy an unused prison in Thomson and house federal inmates there, including some terrorism suspects from Guantanamo Bay.
Critics renewed their cries of outrage and warned that this would make Illinois a target for terrorists.
“Gov. Quinn is distracted with a plan to bring terrorists to our neighborhoods all in the name of job creation,” said Andy McKenna, a Republican candidate for governor.
Rep. Aaron Schock went on MSNBC’s “Hardball” to criticize the plan and soon found himself in the middle of a discussion of torture. The Peoria Republican proclaimed himself a supporter of using any torture technique if it helped protect America.
Quinn called it an economic development victory for northwestern Illinois. He also jabbed at the complaining politicians by saying he’s more concerned about what the military experts say.
“I listen to them a whole lot more than I would listen to some local politician in Illinois who, frankly, they don’t know what they’re talking about,” Quinn said.
Yes and no
Bob Schillerstrom, a Republican candidate for governor, scolded Quinn for pursuing the sale of the Thomson prison without informing the public. He also scolded fellow Republicans for rejecting the plan out of hand.
Meanwhile, Hynes praised President Obama’s handling of the Thomson prison issue and simultaneously criticized Quinn. He claimed Quinn’s early release of state inmates was undercutting public confidence in bringing terrorism suspects to Illinois.
Speaking up
Dan Proft easily was the most quotable person at a forum for the Republican candidates for governor.
• Arguing that the Legislature needs bigger changes than just term limits: “If you want to reduce influence peddling, reduce the amount of influence that politicians have to peddle.”
• On the billions of dollars, years of construction and big promises involved in a plan to offer high-speed rail service: “It’s not public policy. It’s a ‘Simpsons’ episode.”
• On the damage that Gov. Rod Blagojevich could have done had he been a more active governor: “It’s probably a good thing that he wasn’t working as hard as he wasn’t working.”
Money talks
Sometimes it’s not easy being the underdog.
Cheryle Jackson recently sent a message to supporters asking for their help in hitting a fundraising goal. Was the goal $250,000? Nope. How about $100,000 or $50,000? No and no. It was a mere $3,500.
The good news for the Democratic Senate candidate is that she was able to report that supporters had come up with $7,633.
