Better than Berkowitz w/Obama: Berkowitz w/Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn on Illinois' AG Lisa Madigan and more, Cable/streaming
Eric Zorn [Chiago Tribune columnist/blogger]: I’m not sure [Lisa Madigan] is saying she doesn’t know. I think she is saying “there is a time and a place for my policy in education,” but listen, when this happens, when she announces, she is going to have to make the case that she has a policy on education, on taxes, on all these issues that you’re talking about.
Jeff Berkowitz: …look, Jim Ryan didn’t have a policy on education. Somebody handed him a White Paper and he said-- now he did. He wasn’t for vouchers, he was for charter schools and latte da. I’m tough on Republicans as well as Democrats. Look, Jim Ryan did the same thing [as Lisa]. He was Attorney General for what-- eight years? He had no idea what he wanted to do as Governor and the Republicans made him the Republican nominee. And, he lost—to Blagojevich.
Eric Zorn: …But, tell me how that differs from just about anybody who runs for Governor in this state. I mean, go back thru the gubernatorial candidates.
********************************
Indeed, life apparently does imitate art. A few days after Public Affairs taped its show with Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn, Attorney General, non- gubernatorial candidate Lisa Madigan, just happened to suggest, while discussing home foreclosures, to a business crowd-- now might not be the time for an increase in the state's income tax imposed on individuals. And, to his credit, Zorn just happened to ...
********************************************
This week’s Chicago metro suburban edition of Public Affairs features Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn [See below for the Chicago metro suburban, City of Chicago, Aurora and Rockford airing schedules for the show with Zorn].
Topics discussed on the show with Zorn include (A) how the Chicago mainstream media should be more aggressive in eliciting the views and positions of pols and political candidates, announced and unannounced, (B) Chicago Public TV bias, (C) how Zorn chooses what to write about, (D) how Roland Burris got to be and stay, for the time being, a U. S. Senator, (E) whether the whole Burris Senate appointment process made any sense and much, much more.
******************************************
The "Public Affairs," show with Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn can be watched on your computer.
******************************************
The "Public Affairs," show with Tribune columnist Eric Zorn was taped on March 8, 2009.
***************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …To be governor, you should be, for a long time, talking about education, and what you would do to improve it and make it more efficient; you should be talking about taxes and what you would do on that score; [Lisa Madigan] has been doing none of that and you, in the mainstream media, give her a pass.
Eric Zorn: Well, if she is not a candidate, you can cut—
Jeff Berkowitz: Come on, you’re playing into her hands—so she can be a candidate for twenty minutes and then you’re going to say, okay?
Eric Zorn: Well, Jeff, you go to more news conferences than I do. Go to—whenever she has a press availability
Jeff Berkowitz: …She doesn’t call on me when I show up; I’m lucky if I can get a notice that there is a press conference. You know how this game is played with the Chicago media. Be nice [to the pols]. Have people on [your news segment]. Give softball interviews for six minutes [See e.g., NBC’s City Desk with Carol Marin and Mary Ann Ahern—most recently it was Gov. Quinn showing Carol around the Springfield rose garden] and then you get lots of access. Ask a tough question, like I do, and it’s “sorry Jeff—we just don’t want you here.”
Eric Zorn: I’ll tell you what, I can ask Lisa’s people, I can ask Lisa about this stuff but what they will say is that has nothing to do with the business of Attorney General. When I’m running for Governor, I’ll make those points.
Jeff Berkowitz: Print that answer in your column, Eric, five times in a month and you’re going to see an answer. Print that answer that Lisa Madigan doesn’t know [what her position is]. But, if you don’t print it, you’re giving her a pass.
Eric Zorn: I’m not sure [Lisa Madigan] is saying she doesn’t know. I think she is saying “there is a time and a place for my policy in education,” but listen, when this happens, when she announces, she is going to have to make the case that she has a policy on education, on taxes, on all these issues that you’re talking about.
Jeff Berkowitz: …look, Jim Ryan didn’t have a policy on education. Somebody handed him a White Paper and he said-- now he did. He wasn’t for vouchers, he was for charter schools and latte da. I’m tough on Republicans as well as Democrats. Look, Jim Ryan-- did the same thing [as Lisa]. He was Attorney General for what-- eight years? He had no idea what he wanted to do as Governor and the Republicans made him the Republican nominee. And, he lost—to Blagojevich.
Eric Zorn: …But, tell me how that differs from just about anybody who runs for Governor in this state. I mean, go back through the gubernatorial candidates.
Jeff Berkowitz:Well, Bobby Jindal, who ran for Governor, [was a guy] who got panned all over, recently, by the mainstream media [for the so-called poor delivery of his Republican response to Obama’s speech]. [But], he actually ran for Governor of Louisiana with specific programs, specific policies—on which he is now focusing, as Governor.
Eric Zorn: Well, he was a congressman before that.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, that means Jindal was held to a higher standard? That he was going to know what he was going to do as Governor? Because he was a congressman?
Eric Zorn: Well, he has—
Jeff Berkowitz: My point is, Jindal has ideas; he has a philosophy. You may not like [his philosophy], but he has one. [For example], he likes school vouchers, he talked about them before. He helped bring Paul Vallas there to institute a school choice program. My point is that there are people with ideas. And, they articulate those ideas and then they run for office. Lisa Madigan, at this moment, has not done that.
Eric Zorn: I’m not sure—
Jeff Berkowitz: Even Bill Brady has [done that]…look, if we listened to Bill Brady, we heard his ideas [before he recently announced for Governor, again]. His idea is –“We shouldn’t raise taxes. We should say we’re not and we should find areas to cut.” Now, he may be a little short about what those specifics are about cutting—but my point is, you’re an idea guy, you should be out there…pushing candidates to give you ideas and if they don’t—you should pan them.
Eric Zorn: Although, we do talk to them about ideas, but you can’t say to someone before they declare for office—
Jeff Berkowitz: You could, you could …sit down, we’re taping this March 8, you could sit down in April for a coffee with Lisa Madigan and say, “Look, we know there is a good chance you’re going to be running for Governor…could you lay out some of your programs for me, on education, on spending [on taxes]” ...and it’s not just picking up on Lisa, people should have been doing that to [Gov.] Quinn, even as Lt. Gov. They should do that to Senator Bill Brady and they should do that to Doug Whitley, who is launching a campaign for Governor in the Republican Primary. I am just using Lisa as an example—and it is somewhat unfair—because she is so prominent and because she is known--…I am using Lisa Madigan as an example, but I think she is a good example.
*************************************************
Indeed, life apparently does imitate art. A few days after Public Affairs taped its show with Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn, Attorney General, non- gubernatorial candidate Lisa Madigan, just happened to suggest, while discussing home foreclosures, to a business crowd-- now might not be the time for an increase in the state's income tax imposed on individuals. And, to his credit, Zorn just happened to inquire from Attorney General Madigan’s people how a Governor Madigan might handle the state deficit, if taxes weren’t increased. And, Zorn reported all he got from Lisa's people on this matter were bromides and elusive humbug . However, it is interesting that Zorn's print assessment of Lisa's evasions [in the Chicagoland section of the Tribune's March 15 edition] is a bit harsher than Zorn's most recent blog version, dated March 16, of these issues, referenced above.
*******************************************************************
As I said on the show, Zorn is one of the fairest journalists in Chicago. His own views may be liberal, but he seldom lets that get in the way of his reporting, assessing, opining and analyzing in a rigorously logical, objective and balanced way. Further, attesting to Zorn’s good nature and good taste, he has come back on “Public Affairs,” with some frequency, unlike some pols who implicitly tell me tough questioning is not something they signed up for when they sought office.
Lisa Madigan, for example, has declined frequent invitations to appear on Public Affairs, spanning her political career as a state senator, attorney general candidate and two term attorney general. She has, to her credit-- like her father, Speaker Madigan—granted several short interviews to the show’s host and she has also called on the show’s host at a few press conferences. On the other hand, her staff has recently removed Berkowitz from the Attorney General’s media list. Inadvertent, no doubt.
**************************************
Public Affairs Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule:
The show featuring Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn is airing this week in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot:
Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
and Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
*************************************************************
Chicago and Aurora:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night, March 23, 2009, at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and that same night on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
*************************************************
Rockford:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn , will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) a week from this coming Thursday night, March 26 at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.
*******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
**************************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include the fastest five minutes on the web- a New York Times video about Obama-Berkowitz, a show with IL 5th CD Dem nominee--Cook County Cmsr. Mike Quigley (who is now extremely likely to win the
April general election to decide who replaces Cong. Rahm Emanuel), the second fastest five minutes on the web- a segment of Bill O'Reilly with Berkowitz discussing a clip of Obama from 2002 on Blagojevich and many more shows. And, see here for very recent postings on our Youtube page.
**********************************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …look, Jim Ryan didn’t have a policy on education. Somebody handed him a White Paper and he said-- now he did. He wasn’t for vouchers, he was for charter schools and latte da. I’m tough on Republicans as well as Democrats. Look, Jim Ryan did the same thing [as Lisa]. He was Attorney General for what-- eight years? He had no idea what he wanted to do as Governor and the Republicans made him the Republican nominee. And, he lost—to Blagojevich.
Eric Zorn: …But, tell me how that differs from just about anybody who runs for Governor in this state. I mean, go back thru the gubernatorial candidates.
********************************
Indeed, life apparently does imitate art. A few days after Public Affairs taped its show with Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn, Attorney General, non- gubernatorial candidate Lisa Madigan, just happened to suggest, while discussing home foreclosures, to a business crowd-- now might not be the time for an increase in the state's income tax imposed on individuals. And, to his credit, Zorn just happened to ...
********************************************
This week’s Chicago metro suburban edition of Public Affairs features Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn [See below for the Chicago metro suburban, City of Chicago, Aurora and Rockford airing schedules for the show with Zorn].
Topics discussed on the show with Zorn include (A) how the Chicago mainstream media should be more aggressive in eliciting the views and positions of pols and political candidates, announced and unannounced, (B) Chicago Public TV bias, (C) how Zorn chooses what to write about, (D) how Roland Burris got to be and stay, for the time being, a U. S. Senator, (E) whether the whole Burris Senate appointment process made any sense and much, much more.
******************************************
The "Public Affairs," show with Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn can be watched on your computer.
******************************************
The "Public Affairs," show with Tribune columnist Eric Zorn was taped on March 8, 2009.
***************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …To be governor, you should be, for a long time, talking about education, and what you would do to improve it and make it more efficient; you should be talking about taxes and what you would do on that score; [Lisa Madigan] has been doing none of that and you, in the mainstream media, give her a pass.
Eric Zorn: Well, if she is not a candidate, you can cut—
Jeff Berkowitz: Come on, you’re playing into her hands—so she can be a candidate for twenty minutes and then you’re going to say, okay?
Eric Zorn: Well, Jeff, you go to more news conferences than I do. Go to—whenever she has a press availability
Jeff Berkowitz: …She doesn’t call on me when I show up; I’m lucky if I can get a notice that there is a press conference. You know how this game is played with the Chicago media. Be nice [to the pols]. Have people on [your news segment]. Give softball interviews for six minutes [See e.g., NBC’s City Desk with Carol Marin and Mary Ann Ahern—most recently it was Gov. Quinn showing Carol around the Springfield rose garden] and then you get lots of access. Ask a tough question, like I do, and it’s “sorry Jeff—we just don’t want you here.”
Eric Zorn: I’ll tell you what, I can ask Lisa’s people, I can ask Lisa about this stuff but what they will say is that has nothing to do with the business of Attorney General. When I’m running for Governor, I’ll make those points.
Jeff Berkowitz: Print that answer in your column, Eric, five times in a month and you’re going to see an answer. Print that answer that Lisa Madigan doesn’t know [what her position is]. But, if you don’t print it, you’re giving her a pass.
Eric Zorn: I’m not sure [Lisa Madigan] is saying she doesn’t know. I think she is saying “there is a time and a place for my policy in education,” but listen, when this happens, when she announces, she is going to have to make the case that she has a policy on education, on taxes, on all these issues that you’re talking about.
Jeff Berkowitz: …look, Jim Ryan didn’t have a policy on education. Somebody handed him a White Paper and he said-- now he did. He wasn’t for vouchers, he was for charter schools and latte da. I’m tough on Republicans as well as Democrats. Look, Jim Ryan-- did the same thing [as Lisa]. He was Attorney General for what-- eight years? He had no idea what he wanted to do as Governor and the Republicans made him the Republican nominee. And, he lost—to Blagojevich.
Eric Zorn: …But, tell me how that differs from just about anybody who runs for Governor in this state. I mean, go back through the gubernatorial candidates.
Jeff Berkowitz:Well, Bobby Jindal, who ran for Governor, [was a guy] who got panned all over, recently, by the mainstream media [for the so-called poor delivery of his Republican response to Obama’s speech]. [But], he actually ran for Governor of Louisiana with specific programs, specific policies—on which he is now focusing, as Governor.
Eric Zorn: Well, he was a congressman before that.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, that means Jindal was held to a higher standard? That he was going to know what he was going to do as Governor? Because he was a congressman?
Eric Zorn: Well, he has—
Jeff Berkowitz: My point is, Jindal has ideas; he has a philosophy. You may not like [his philosophy], but he has one. [For example], he likes school vouchers, he talked about them before. He helped bring Paul Vallas there to institute a school choice program. My point is that there are people with ideas. And, they articulate those ideas and then they run for office. Lisa Madigan, at this moment, has not done that.
Eric Zorn: I’m not sure—
Jeff Berkowitz: Even Bill Brady has [done that]…look, if we listened to Bill Brady, we heard his ideas [before he recently announced for Governor, again]. His idea is –“We shouldn’t raise taxes. We should say we’re not and we should find areas to cut.” Now, he may be a little short about what those specifics are about cutting—but my point is, you’re an idea guy, you should be out there…pushing candidates to give you ideas and if they don’t—you should pan them.
Eric Zorn: Although, we do talk to them about ideas, but you can’t say to someone before they declare for office—
Jeff Berkowitz: You could, you could …sit down, we’re taping this March 8, you could sit down in April for a coffee with Lisa Madigan and say, “Look, we know there is a good chance you’re going to be running for Governor…could you lay out some of your programs for me, on education, on spending [on taxes]” ...and it’s not just picking up on Lisa, people should have been doing that to [Gov.] Quinn, even as Lt. Gov. They should do that to Senator Bill Brady and they should do that to Doug Whitley, who is launching a campaign for Governor in the Republican Primary. I am just using Lisa as an example—and it is somewhat unfair—because she is so prominent and because she is known--…I am using Lisa Madigan as an example, but I think she is a good example.
*************************************************
Indeed, life apparently does imitate art. A few days after Public Affairs taped its show with Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn, Attorney General, non- gubernatorial candidate Lisa Madigan, just happened to suggest, while discussing home foreclosures, to a business crowd-- now might not be the time for an increase in the state's income tax imposed on individuals. And, to his credit, Zorn just happened to inquire from Attorney General Madigan’s people how a Governor Madigan might handle the state deficit, if taxes weren’t increased. And, Zorn reported all he got from Lisa's people on this matter were bromides and elusive humbug . However, it is interesting that Zorn's print assessment of Lisa's evasions [in the Chicagoland section of the Tribune's March 15 edition] is a bit harsher than Zorn's most recent blog version, dated March 16, of these issues, referenced above.
*******************************************************************
As I said on the show, Zorn is one of the fairest journalists in Chicago. His own views may be liberal, but he seldom lets that get in the way of his reporting, assessing, opining and analyzing in a rigorously logical, objective and balanced way. Further, attesting to Zorn’s good nature and good taste, he has come back on “Public Affairs,” with some frequency, unlike some pols who implicitly tell me tough questioning is not something they signed up for when they sought office.
Lisa Madigan, for example, has declined frequent invitations to appear on Public Affairs, spanning her political career as a state senator, attorney general candidate and two term attorney general. She has, to her credit-- like her father, Speaker Madigan—granted several short interviews to the show’s host and she has also called on the show’s host at a few press conferences. On the other hand, her staff has recently removed Berkowitz from the Attorney General’s media list. Inadvertent, no doubt.
**************************************
Public Affairs Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule:
The show featuring Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn is airing this week in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot:
Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
and Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
*************************************************************
Chicago and Aurora:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night, March 23, 2009, at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and that same night on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
*************************************************
Rockford:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Chicago Tribune columnist/blogger Eric Zorn , will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) a week from this coming Thursday night, March 26 at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.
*******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
**************************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include the fastest five minutes on the web- a New York Times video about Obama-Berkowitz, a show with IL 5th CD Dem nominee--Cook County Cmsr. Mike Quigley (who is now extremely likely to win the
April general election to decide who replaces Cong. Rahm Emanuel), the second fastest five minutes on the web- a segment of Bill O'Reilly with Berkowitz discussing a clip of Obama from 2002 on Blagojevich and many more shows. And, see here for very recent postings on our Youtube page.
**********************************************************************
<< Home