miller
Rich Miller biography
Rich Miller has been writing about Illinois politics since 1990. He began publishing Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, in 1993. He is recognized …
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Miller: New polls show state GOP has tough road ahead
Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady resigned last week just as a new statewide poll showed big trouble for his political party. Brady, chairman since August 2009, had been under pressure to resign ever since the disastrous 2012 elections. The pressure increased publicly after Brady …Read More
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Miller: Back to square one for GOP in chairman search
In yet another blow to the Illinois Republican Party, state Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) has withdrawn his name from contention as state party chairman. And, no, it didn’t have anything to do with Murphy being injured during the annual House vs. Senate softball game last …Read More
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Miller: Poll shows Illinoisans back concealed carry, extra review in Chicago, Cook
A new statewide poll shows that a majority of Illinoisans favor concealed carry. But it also shows that an overwhelming majority everywhere in the state also say it’s OK if Chicago and Cook County police have additional authority over who gets to carry in their …Read More
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Miller: Madigan sends NRA message on concealed carry
During the Illinois House’s floor debate last week over the concealed-carry bill backed by the National Rifle Association, I was told by an intimate of House Speaker Michael Madigan that Madigan wanted to make sure the bill received no more than 64 votes. Because the …
Miller: GOP conservatives see handwriting on gay marriage
You can always tell when somebody is losing an argument because they’re constantly backtracking and recalibrating. And it’s no different with gay marriage. In January, for instance, newly elected state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) freely admitted that gay marriage was at the heart of …
Miller: Some pension reform progress, but hurdles remain
As it turns out, the Illinois House Democrats didn’t need the Republicans to put 30 votes on a significant pension reform bill. There’s been worry for at least two years that the Democrats would have to rely heavily on the Republicans to get anything out …
Miller: Quinn irritating legislators over university board moves
A recent meeting between Metro East legislators and Gov. Pat Quinn’s staff turned heated at times, and as a result nothing was accomplished in the standoff over Quinn’s appointments to the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees. The governor’s three appointments to SIU’s board were …
Miller: Business leaders’ opposition sinks Cullerton pension bill
“Pardon me,” said Ty Fahner to a nearby microphone that he accidentally bumped into during his testimony last week before the Illinois Senate Executive Committee. Fahner could probably be excused for apologizing to an inanimate object. The president of the Civic Committee of the Commercial …
Miller: They’re in control, but Dems can’t agree on pension reform
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was hoping Thursday to avoid the same dismal results as the previous week when he presented some new, and harsh, pension reform ideas. The week before, one of his pension proposals received just one vote, his own. None of his …
Miller: Wide divide in Springfield on gun control, pension reform
Nobody ever really knows what’s going through Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s head except for Madigan himself. So, the actual purpose of two highly choreographed gun control and pension reform debates last week ordered up by Madigan weren’t completely clear to anyone. That’s by design, …
Miller: Concealed carry coming; tougher laws on gun sales, too?
Illinois House Democrats were told during a private caucus meeting in Springfield last week that, despite what Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says, inaction on concealed carry would have serious consequences. As you most assuredly know, a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court …
Miller: Simon takes curious path in separating from Quinn
“Off topic? I can’t imagine what that would be,” cracked Gov. Pat Quinn last week during a news conference. Just hours before, his lieutenant governor had announced that she would not be Quinn’s 2014 running mate. Quinn usually does a pretty good job during his …
Miller: Illinois’ diversity contributes to political divisions
Gov. Pat Quinn used the phrase “our Illinois” almost 30 times in one form or another last week during his annual State of the State address. “In our Illinois, everyone should have access to decent health care,” Quinn said. “In our Illinois, working people find …
Miller: Lisa Madigan poll numbers bad news for Quinn, Daley
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that a poll taken Jan. 30 of 1,255 likely Illinois Democratic primary voters shows Attorney General Lisa Madigan leading Gov. Pat Quinn by a very large margin. Madigan also leads Quinn and former White House chief of staff …
Miller: Illinois GOP wants gay-marriage bill passed ASAP
Talk to just about any top Illinois Republican these days off the record and they’ll freely admit that they want the bill legalizing gay marriage to be approved as soon as possible. It’s not that they’re necessarily in favor of gay marriage, mind you. Many …
Miller: Bill Daley sizes up chances of winning governor’s office
Bill Daley called the other day. We estimated that it had been about three or four years since we last had spoken, which is par for the course. Going back to at least 2001, Daley, the brother and son of former Chicago mayors, has mulled …
Miller: What’ll it take for Madigan to push for pension reform?
“Frankly, I’m not sure they want it,” Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) said Tuesday about Democratic legislative leaders and state pension reform. It sure looked liked she was right last week, at least in the House, where Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) barely lifted …
Miller: Cullerton, cohorts stumble badly in state Senate
Thursday was not exactly a banner day for the Illinois Senate Democratic leadership. In high-profile moves, its attempts to pass a bill legalizing gay marriage stalled as did bills on gun control. Even a much-needed spending bill was unable to move out of committee. Pension …
Miller: Progress on gun control doubtful in Illinois
It’s difficult to disagree with an argument made by the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent shortly after news had broken of the mass murder at a Connecticut grade school. “If today’s shooting doesn’t prompt action on guns,” Sargent wrote on his Twitter account, “then nothing ever …
Miller: Appeal of ruling on concealed carry could backfire
Before Friday’s horrific school shooting in Connecticut, people on both sides of Illinois’ concealed-carry debate were saying privately that they did not expect Attorney General Lisa Madigan to appeal her major loss at the hands of the U.S. Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel of …
