Blagojevich tells Daley he doesn't coordinate anti-gun measures well with his office

[Jeff White]

I don't know if this is a falling out between the gun banners or just Blagojevich trying to shore up his anti gun base because they haven't been able to push anything through the statehouse. Anyway it's sickening. What is the city of Chicago doing with lobbyists in Springfield? Don't they have representatives in the statehouse?
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...7A21BDABAACF6DAD86256FC50014F225?OpenDocument

Governor suggests Daley seek help on gun legislation
By MAURA KELLY LANNAN
The Associated Press
03/15/2005

Mayor's lobbyists
need more energy,
less lethargy, he says


CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is not well-served by his lobbyists in Springfield on gun control bills because they have not asked the governor's office for help or kept it informed when such measures come up for a vote.

"I would recommend maybe the mayor needs to look and see whether or not he may want to hire some new lobbyists because they need to show a little more energy and a lot less lethargy," Blagojevich said. "They don't contact us. We only hear from them after they fail with their bills and then they call and start blaming."

Several gun control measures proposed by Daley failed this month in a Senate committee, but they will likely be heard again. Blagojevich described Daley as a leader on gun control and said he supports Daley's package, which includes closing the "gun-show loophole" and banning assault weapons. Daley also wants to limit buyers to one handgun a month, license firearms dealers and stiffen penalties for armed crimes and irresponsible gun shops.

Jodi Kawada, a spokeswoman for Daley, said "common-sense gun legislation" is high on Daley's list of priorities.

"We've worked very hard to try and get information out to all interested parties and we feel that we've been successful at doing that. However, if the governor's office feels that we need to improve communication, we're always willing to work with them, and we'll do whatever it takes to get all the allies we can," she said.

She did not know if the city's lobbyists had tried to contact the governor's office on gun control measures. Two lobbyists for the city of Chicago did not return phone calls for comment.

Regional differences dominate gun control debates in Illinois, with downstate lawmakers from both parties tending to oppose gun control measures, while Chicago Democrats and some suburban Republicans support them.

Blagojevich aggressively pushed anti-gun measures while he was in Congress, but that caused him trouble as a candidate for governor with voters outside the Chicago area. He has largely sidestepped the issue since.

State Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, said he was surprised that Daley and Blagojevich had trouble communicating, especially because they are both Democrats. He said former GOP Gov. George Ryan worked well with Daley to pass other gun control legislation.

"I'm a little surprised that the governor's office has trouble tracking legislation dealing with guns because they have a full-time legislative staff of seven or eight people, full time, in the Capitol," plus lobbyists for other state departments, he said.

Dillard, who is co-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee where some of the gun control bills failed, said he did not hear from Blagojevich's office on the package.

Blagojevich on Monday said he hasn't directed his legislative liaisons to work for the gun control measures because they are focused on his own legislative package.

 

[Henry Bowman]

The enemy within.

 

[SmershAgent]

A week or two ago, a very similar article came out focusing on how Daley blamed Rod for their agenda stalling. It appears the Governor's pathetic, transparent attempts to suck up to Chicago and pretend to play nice with gun owners have earned him the animosity of both groups.

Gee guys, do you think maybe these gun bills are failing because most people in the state don't want them ?

Or perhaps you'd have better luck if you cooperated rather than bickering amongst yourselves?

If they weren't quarraling about how best to undermine my rights, I'd find this whole situation pretty funny.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Several gun control measures proposed by Daley failed this month in a Senate committee, but they will likely be heard again...

...and again and again and again and again and again...

 

[Kingcreek]

and Daley hits back...
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/lobbyists15.html

Heehee, I hope they give each other a good beating.

 

[SmershAgent]

Hah-I was just about to post that. As you said, let them waste their time passing the buck back and forth. The fact we have a series of newspaper articles dedicated to the 2 most powerful men in Illinois playing the blame game like a couple of whiney kids sure reflects well, eh?

In the meantime, the law-abiding, civically responsible bloc of gun owners will be working hard to get our own legislation passed.

 

[Don Gwinn]

From the Chicago Sun-Times: Daley Strikes Back

Mayor Richard Daley on Tuesday said Gov. Rod Blagojevich was creating a diversion and "a sideshow" by blaming the city's lobbyists for the recent failure of gun-control legislation.

Blagojevich, who has been criticized for not taking a strong stand in support of gun-control measures, had said Daley wasn't well-served by his lobbyists because they didn't ask the governor's office for help or keep it informed when the bills came up for a vote.

"We only hear from them after they fail with their bills," the governor said Monday.

Daley disputed that argument Tuesday.

"Everybody knows where these bills (are). These are the hottest bills down there," Daley said when asked about the governor's comments. He said his lobbyists have good communication with Blagojevich's staff.

Gun-control should be about the people affected by gun violence and not about politics, Daley said.

"I think everybody wants a fight between Mayor Daley and the governor. This is bigger than Mayor Daley and the governor," he said. "This is just all a sideshow."

Work with me, governor tells Daley

Gov. Blagojevich insists he supports gun-control legislation being pushed by Mayor Daley in Springfield, but he wants the mayor's lobbyists to work more closely with his staff on the issue.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Cheryle Jackson said the administration "has a great deal of interest joining Mayor Daley in passing bills to fight gun violence. That's why we should work together and coordinate our efforts in Springfield."

Daley criticized state lawmakers for blocking gun-control measures while advancing proposals to let more people carry concealed weapons and called on Illinois residents to speak out in support of gun-control laws.

"We should send a strong message to all our legislators in Springfield and Washington: Do not listen to extremists, do not listen to the National Rifle Association," Daley said. "The vast majority of Americans, I believe, favor reasonable, commonsense, middle-of-the-road policies. They respect hunters and sport shooters, but they also respect the rights of gun victims."

NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde said some of Daley's proposals have been too extreme.

"These bills are aimed at one thing: taking guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens," Vandermyde said.

Last fall, Daley lost lawsuits attempting to hold the gun industry responsible for handgun deaths in the city. He returned to the Legislature in January with a gun-control package meant to choke off the supply of weapons illegally reaching criminals, but several of his bills failed in a Senate committee.

"This is just what we do not need in Chicago or Illinois. More guns on the streets," Daley said Tuesday.