Marathon Pundit: (Video) ILL-inois: Quinn met with community leaders to dole out slush fund cash

There are a couple of new developments in the Gov. Pat Quinn anti-violence slush fund scandal. In a 10-1 vote, a legislative committee gave itself subpoena power to investigate the Chicago Democrat's $54 million Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, which was launched four years ago as he faced a tight election.

Republicans say the program was "street money" in an effort to drive up the minority vote in Chicago and parts of suburban Cook County.

And tonight Jay Levine of CBS 2 Chicago reported that Quinn met with black and Hispanic community leaders in the fall of 2010--telling them how much NRI cash they'd get.

It's easy to be Santa Claus when you're spending someone else's money.

Twice Quinn was Rod Blagojevich's running mate.