Around the Statehouse
UPI
(NOTE: analysis)
Around the Statehouse
Dems far from unified for November
By GREGORY TEJEDA
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (UPI) - Illinois Democrats won't admit it, but
their talk about being a unified political party ready to take on the
Republicans in November is a sham.
Black lawmakers and activists who account for about one-third of
Democratic voters think Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-
Chicago, is gaining too much power, now that he's on the verge of
becoming the state party's chairman.
Hispanics have their problems with Democratic gubernatorial nominee
Glenn Poshard, who as a congressman from Southern Illinois followed his
conservative beliefs in voting for various ``anti-immigrant'' measures.
One activist says Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., ``slit his throat''
among Hispanic voters by endorsing Poshard in the primary.
And then there are the women.
They won't accept Poshard as their choice for governor, and they
resent the way Democratic officials are pressuring them to keep their
mouths shut on Poshard's opposition to abortion and votes against
equitable pay for women.
``They (Democrats) never give us anything anyway, so why should we
just meekly play along,'' said Lorna Brett, head of the National
Organization for Women's Chicago chapter. ``We're not a partisan tool.''
Madigan used his political influence to put Poshard ahead of three
opponents preferred by women.
Many of the Democratic legislative candidates in Southern Illinois
share Poshard's views, and Madigan did not want their party tie to a
more liberal gubernatorial nominee to hurt their chances of winning
House seats.
``Madigan wanted abortion and other women's issues off the table. He
succeeded,'' one activist said.
But one female legislator from Chicago says Madigan's actions have
created a split that hurts Democrats everywhere.
``Everybody always assumes Mike Madigan is always correct and that
what he says about the state is gospel,'' the legislator said. ``Madigan
is wrong this time.''
Female legislators admit they can't publicly denounce Poshard, unless
they're willing to be cut off by Madigan.
But they are willing to have activist groups take shots at Poshard.
And they are encouraged by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's reluctance thus
far to do anything serious to promote Poshard.
Campaign officials are downplaying the disgust. Democratic
comptroller nominee Dan Hynes's campaign manager, Gail Handleman, says,
``there's nothing (the women) can do. The voters have spoken.''
Activists admit they must be careful, since their disgust with
Poshard could hurt the campaigns of Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill.,
state Attorney General nominee Miriam Santos and Lieutenant Governor
nominee Mary Lou Kearns.
But their biggest fear is that the Illinois Democratic Party split
could affect future elections, particularly for president in 2000.
``The Democrats in Illinois are now two parallel parties,'' one
activist said. ``I'd hope people like Al Gore come here and are wise
enough to pick up on that and not rely on Madigan to get out the vote
for them, because it's the women and liberals who put presidents in
office.''
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Copyright 1998 by United Press International.
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UPI
(NOTE: analysis)
Around the Statehouse
Hynes' credibility slow in coming
By GREGORY TEJEDA
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (UPI) - Dan Hynes is a Chicago attorney from a
political family seen by many as a powerbroker of the future.
But other Illinois Democrats say their party's nominee for state
comptroller in the November elections is in over his head, finding it
embarrassing to support a 29-year-old kid with no political experience
for a constitutional office.
``He's gotten better as the campaign has progressed but sometimes you
watch him at work and wish he'd have gone out and done something else,''
one Democrat says. ``He's way too inexperienced.''
Hynes began his campaign last summer with a fundraiser at Chicago's
Navy Pier that attracted more than 3,000 people. He likes to tell people
he has campaigned in all 102 counties.
Hynes talks passionately of the need to get young people intereested
in politics and seems especially comfortable dealing with college
students.
While he talks about state financial issues in general terms, he has
met privately with former Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch - now a
Northwestern University professor - to learn exactly what the office
does.
Hynes became the undisputed nominee for state comptroller after
former comptroller staffer Fred Lebed was discouraged by party officials
from seeking the top post, even though his ``life's ambition'' was to be
comptroller.
All potential primary opponents were scared off not by Hynes, but by
his father, former Cook County Assessor Tom Hynes.
Since retiring his post last year, Tom Hynes has devoted the bulk of
his time to organizing his son's political future.
``He's clearing the board for Dan,'' one Statehouse observer says.
``He's spending his time trying to create an open path for Dan to go to
Springfield without a serious challenge.''
The Hynes presence has even had an impact on proposals to merge the
state treasurer's and comptroller's offices into one post.
Democrats are opposing using either name for the new post, insisting
on a generic name in part because they anticipate Dan Hynes would run
for the new post if it is created in 2002 and they want him to look like
the incumbent.
Dan Hynes did gain credibility early on.
He was the first candidate with Illinois House Speaker Michael
Madigan's endorsement. And the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen's
Association endorsed Hynes more than a year ago.
But Democratic cynics note that was an attempt by the association -
which represents the interests of rural Democrats - to keep Chicago in
check. Hynes was the only urban resident to get the group's support.
And liberal activists say they haven't made up their minds yet about
how independent Dan Hynes will be from his father and Madigan - even
though he's a University of Notre Dame graduate who lives in Chicago's
Lincoln Park neighborhood and has the same personal profile as many
urban professionals.
``The jury's still out on Dan Hynes,'' one activist says. ``He's
probably going to be one of the more conservative members of the
Democratic ticket. We're not sure where he'll come down on the issues.''