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One Shortfall that Wouldn’t Have Happened Under G-Ryan

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

Pharmacists would get their bills paid–why? George Ryan was at one time a pharmacist.

* The average member responding to the survey is owed over $181,000 in back Medicaid reimbursements from the state. Some independent pharmacies are owed as much as $1.8 million. According to an accompanying article in the Belleville News-Democrat, about 20 percent are owed between $50,000 and $99,000, and another 28 percent are owed between $100,000 and $199,000.

* The average waiting period for state payment is now 110 days – about four months. A year ago, it was 56 days.

The pharmacists say they are being paid much more slowly than hospitals and nursing homes, which have more political pull in Springfield. They don’t expect to be paid again until the end of August for expenses incurred through June.

The state borrowed $750 million to pay off its backlog of Medicaid bills, which triggered matching federal money. But that still left the state $500 million short of paying off its entire backlog, and, as it turned out, the vast majority of that $500 million was owed to pharmacists.

That hurts small businesses especially and such a practice is wrong.

Not much analysis, but the Percentages are Fascinating

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

Crain’s runs a column on the primary outlook for the 2004 Senate race.

What is most interesting is that 47% of the GOP vote will come from the lower 96 counties. The rural-urban split is certainly showing itself here and it is problematic for the GOP if it allows such places to dominate the race. They need to concentrate on attracting and retaining collar county and suburban voters to win.

The Big SLIDE!

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

Marie has a pic up of the Big Slide at the Illinois State Fair.

Looks Like Rauschenberger is In

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

Bernard Schoenburg is reporting his campaign staff is taking shape,

DAVE KELM of Springfield has been tapped to be campaign manager for the U.S. Senate bid of state Sen. STEVE RAUSCHENBERGER, R-Elgin.

"He’s the one right now with the most elected experience, and the most, I think, knowledge of the issues," Kelm, 34, said of Rauschenberger’s entrance into the field of Republicans interested in the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. PETER FITZGERALD, R-Ill.

Rauschenberger just won a four-year term to the Senate, where he’s known as an appropriations whiz. He’s also proven willing to speak plainly about his differences with folks, including Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH.

Kelm lost a nonpartisan race for Springfield Ward 6 alderman last spring to Ald. MARK MAHONEY and was laid off from his job at what was the Department of Nuclear Safety. He said Rauschenberger planned to file paperwork to establish an exploratory committee this week for a possible 2004 federal run.

I think Rauschenberger and Borling are the strongest general election candidates for the Republicans. As a note on Borling, he just announced he is pro-choice.

Given the nature of the Republican Party I’d say that is generally a liability in the primary, but with a fractured field it might play well to be the only pro-choice candidate.

Dan Hynes has a nickname thanks to Marie

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

Dan Hynes — Dano. As in "Book ’em Dano" for successfully staving off the Supremes.

From Marie at Disarranging Mine

Via Marie as well is a story on the Illinois State Fair which opens Friday. G-Rod is looking for a signature event such as Jim Thompson going down the slide and Edgar riding a horse.

Given he is a Chicago boy getting pummelled for living in Chicago perhaps Bull Milking would be a good signature event. Your ideas?

It’s Not the Endzone of the Meadowlands, but…

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

We have a body in the Comiskey Parking Lot.

How can you criticize Reinsdorf?

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

I swear I didn’t plant the quote in the title. Not to turn this into a sports blog, but I’m going to open this one up to the audience–so everyone who has a problem with Jerry Reinsdorf—vent away in comments. Try to not make it personal to other commenters.

More Clinton Parallels?

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

A sharp reader points to what is essentially a puff piece by Steve Neal on former Blagojevich aide Doug Scofield. Puff piece isn’t pejorative to Scofield, but to the columns in which Neal writes uncritically of people he likes. While I don’t have the intense hatred of Neal that many do, this is essentially a lazy column. He is best when he is analyzing and not doing profiles.

The reader adds,

Scofield left as deputy governor largely because of the disorganization in Blago’s office. The failure to organize, hire adequate staff, and run a smooth operation meant that Scofield (one of the brightest of the bright) was left to work long hours and carry many burdens. This was not why he and his wife left DC (where he served Gutierrez immensley well). According to Scofield, not much has changed since he left.

As the Clinton Parallels continue, it appears that Team Blagojevich runs by the seat of its pants. This shouldn’t be shocking, but it certainly is similar to Clinton’s first couple years in office where the White House was chaotic and angered allies on a daily basis. All of the political stuff matters, but what new and especially younger executive officers tend to miss is that not only is the Governor a political operator, he is a manager of a huge bureaucracy. Without effective strategies to manage information and people things will quickly spin out of control.

Seen at the Illinois Leader

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 No Comments

Catholic Citizens condemn Durbin and Hartkin’s "anti-Catholic bigotry"

That’d be Harkin to those trying to refer to Iowa’s Senator. Or Hartke if referring to the recently passed away Senator from Indiana.

On the substance–LOL–arguing that criticizing one’s judicial philosophy is Anti-Catholic is a bit problematic if Catholics, or any faith, want to claim they’re political positions can be separated from the church they follow.

What Are These Strange Nicknames

ArchPundit August 4, 2003 1 Comment

I tend to use nicknames that I think capture certain pols…

G-Rod–shamelessly stolen from the Capitol Fax, captures the Hot Rod nature of the Governor

G-Ry George Ryan
J-Ry Jim Ryan
Why? During the campaign last year, Jim Ryan kept trying to get newspapers to differentiate between the two of them so he wouldn’t be tarred with George’s scandals. Ultimately, it was an excuse for what was one of the worst run campaigns in Illinois history–I would argue worse than Dawn Clark Netsch’s given that Jim Ryan actually was in the race at soem time. Probably not worse than Chris Lauzen’s Comptroller race, but Lauzen started out with less to work with–namely Chris Lauzen. Anyway, Jim Ryan was trying to get referred to as JRyan–I thought this was awfully diva like and thought something like J-Lo was more appropriate.

Da Speaker–big heavyweight Speaker of the Illinois House from the south side–very thin in reality and if not much of a kidder or talker–adds to the ironic nature of the nickname.

Four Tops–Traditional name of the four legislative leaders of the Illinois Lege–have an incredible amount of control over campaign cash minus some minor reforms in the Republican Caucuses this last time.