* Quote of the day goes to Sen. Bill Brady, who complained about Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget yesterday…
“It seems to me that what he’s simply doing here is ignoring the problem, kicking the can down the road, trying to make it past the election,” Brady said. “I frankly wonder if he’s planning on being here in January because he’s leaving a pretty big problem.”
Oof.
* Quinn began the day with a direct shot at Brady…
In a veiled reference to the financial solution proposed by state Sen. Bill Brady, his opponent in the Nov. 2 election for governor, Quinn said, “There are some people who say we should just cut across the board until we close our $13 billion deficit and our spending equals our revenues — even if that means draconian cuts in health, human services, education and public safety. But that approach is both heartless — and naïve.
“We must consider the financial impact — as well as the human cost — of every cut we make,” Quinn said.
Brady…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady on Wednesday called Gov. Pat Quinn’s fiscal year 2011 budget a “catastrophe,” insisting his own plan for a 10 percent across-the-board cut would balance the budget and dig the state out of its $13 billion hole. […]
“I wish [Quinn] would take more time to analyze what I’ve suggested Illinois needs,” Brady said. “I really don’t want to be governor and be saddled with the albatross he’s created in this fiscal mess.”
More Brady…
“Today was an embarrassing day. He (Quinn) asked for an extra 30 days and yet the best he could come up with was a budget that is $4 billion out of balance,” Brady said, referring to Quinn’s request to delay his budget address by a month.
Um, $4 billion out of balance? Try $11 billion.
After Brady’s press conference, the governor’s campaign issued a news release…
Response to Bill Brady’s Critiques of Governor Quinn’s “Fighting for Illinois” Budget Plan:
Bill Brady says he opposes Governor Quinn’s budget plan and won’t support any additional revenues for education or additional borrowing to close the state’s $12.7 billion gap. So what would Brady include in his all-cuts plan to balance the budget? So far, he ’s refused to say - because it simply can’t be done without causing devastating harm to education, healthcare and public safety. No wonder former Governor Jim Edgar called Brady’s chainsaw approach to the budget “naïve.”
In fact, Bill Brady ’s own voting record provides the best clue about what he’d do as governor. His solution to our economic problems would be to turn the clock back by eliminating the minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, Family and Medical Leave, and to allow discrimination in the workplace. That’s an economic vision from 1910 — not for 2010.
You can expect that Edgar quote to be used ad infinitum by the Quinnsters.
* Brady did much better yesterday than I thought he would. His presser was on the third floor near the rail and the gun rights folks were in town so it was hard to hear anything in the Rotunda. But, it appears TV and radio got their audio and Brady got in a lot of decent shots, despite his consistent refusal to look at the complete budget picture.
Of course, Brady doesn’t have his own alternative legislation. As Senate President Cullerton pointed out yesterday, Brady is the first sitting Illinois legislator to be nominated for governor in over 100 years. He therefore has the ability to introduce his own plan.
…Adding… I forgot to mention that Gov. Quinn will appear at two schools today to tout his tax hike proposal. From a press release…
GOVERNOR’S PUBLIC SCHEDULE
**Thursday, March 11, 2010**
SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn will speak about his education priorities.
WHO: Governor Quinn
WHEN: 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Thomas Jefferson Middle School - Library
3001 South Allis Street
Springfield, 62703
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn will speak about his education priorities.
WHO: Governor Quinn
WHEN: 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: James R. Lowell Elementary School
3320 West Hirsch Street
Chicago, 60651
* Related…
* Capitol Fax video: Brady presser.
* Capitol Fax videos: Cullerton availability, part one and part two.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:05 am:
Sen. Brady, lay it down, brother, so we can pick it up. Otherwise it’s just gas.
Seriously. Do you plan on talking, ad nauseum, about your budget solution without putting it to paper?
- Cubs2010 - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:07 am:
“You can expect that Edgar quote to be used ad infinitum by the Quinnsters.”
I believe the Quinn operatives like to be called the Quinntations.
- Conservative Republican - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:18 am:
Quinn and Quinnsters: explain to me how a 10% across the board cut is “draconian” while Quinn’s proposed 33% gouge of education is not? (Per the Tribune: Quinn’s 33% education cut is a “strategery” to motivate the education lobby to scream for the tax increases Quinn wants.)
- dupage dan - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:21 am:
Great, dueling quotes will be the order of the day. Brady will trot out the Mayor Washington quote and Quinn will trot out the Gov Edgar quote.
Get out the barf bags, everyone, the stuff is gonna get thick.
- Amuzing Myself - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:23 am:
If Quinn’s people did as good a job crafting a budget as they did crafting a response to Brady’s remarks, they might actually come up with something. I’m not holding my breath.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:27 am:
As long as the Democrats can’t agree, Brady can avoid specifics. Voters will measure how well Brady does in that department after they see what the incumbants put down. Quinn will demand otherwise, but he is the governor, not Brady.
Brady does not have to go first. It is only March and he can continue to speak out against the problems we face and demanding accurate figures regarding how deep our hole is. If he is smart, he can milk this for many more months. Anything Brady proposes will be flayed alive, so he needs to keep it simple. “10% across the board cut” may be realistically naive, but not politically naive.
At the same time, he needs to demonstrate that he is not the Boogeyman Quinn is painting him up as being.
As our fiscal calamity grows, Brady needs to ensure that he remains a viable alternative to the failures voters are witnessing this year. If he was smart, he could do this.
- George - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:28 am:
CR - 10% across the board doesn’t even get you close to avoiding catastrophe.
Saying you can cut your way out of this is straight up lying. And Brady knows it.
- Niles Township - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:29 am:
Great, dueling quotes will be the order of the day. Brady will trot out the Mayor Washington quote and Quinn will trot out the Gov Edgar quote.
Get out the barf bags, everyone, the stuff is gonna get thick.
——————
The only difference is one is a politically circumspect 20+ year old quote while one is a current quote about our current predicament.
- PFK - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:30 am:
Rich Whitney is unveiling his economic plan at a press conference today, 11:30 a.m., in the state capitol’s “Blue Room”:
http://www.whitneyforgov.org/how-we-can-solve-the-budget-crisis
- OneMan - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:31 am:
Borrowing several billion more just delays catasrophe
- Justice - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:36 am:
“I really don’t want to be governor and be saddled with the albatross he’s created in this fiscal mess.” Does this mean Brady is dropping out?
Draconian cuts are unfortunately all we have left. What’s the difference, if we can’t pay our bills and the services are gone, or we cut services so that we can pay something to each, though it will certainly be minimal. We ain’t got no money and must cut, cut, cut. We will have a great deal of pain to share with everyone until we can turn our economy around and elect real leaders and not just opponents. You know, people who actually have good ideas and will work together. But then again, I too would like to see Pluto. Fat chance.
And good luck on that tax increase.
- bcross - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:37 am:
==“It seems to me that what he’s simply doing here is ignoring the problem, kicking the can down the road, trying to make it past the election,” Brady said.==
Hello Kettle? This is the Pot . . . .
- dupage dan - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 10:43 am:
Oooooh, a politician who lies. What next? A summer without road repair?
- Cosmic Charlie - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 11:00 am:
Even though his “plan” is absurd, as long as Brady keeps the debate to the budget he will be in the race to the end. He should not open his mouth with saying the following words:
Budget
Cuts
Taxes
Jobs
If he can’t weave those words into his statement he should not speak at all.
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 11:53 am:
Let’s award the dumbest burget react comment to:
State Rep. Tim Schmitz, a Batavia Republican:
“A 20-minute speech for a state as big as ours with a deficit as big as ours, I did expect more
details. I expected a longer conversation.”
Uh a speech is a monologue, a conversation isn’t
- hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 11:59 am:
“I really don’t want to be governor and be saddled with the albatross he’s created in this fiscal mess.”
OK Brady. I’ll give you what you want and not vote for you governor. Because no matter what, the next governor is getting an albatross of a fiscal mess. Maybe you can try again during happier economic times?
- irish - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 12:03 pm:
Justice beat me to it, but that was the first thought I had. If Brady doesn’t want to be Governor in tough fiscal times, why is he running now? If he thinks that this will all be cleared up by November I want whatever it is that he is smoking. This is one of the worst things I have heard in this campaign yet. It is right up there with the I’ll pay off the deficit with the surplus.
- Will County Woman - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 1:39 pm:
NT, the Harold Washington tape talked about quinn’s incompetence, the fact that no one, not even himself, could refute it was and is the point. quinn’s second year as governor will be much like his first.
heck, the pr plantation (aka the gov’s office) is already in overdrive. in other words…
talkin’ loud, ain’t saying nothin’.
- Richard - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 1:51 pm:
If Bill Brady is going to allow discrimination in the work place then he needs to allow African Americans funding to start opening up their own businesses. Both Pat Quinn and Bill Brady needs to make sure that the African American COmmunity is empowered so that America is not carrying dead weight. If not then we need not allow Bill Brady or Pat Quinn in as Governor.
- RJW - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 1:59 pm:
@Richard:
I don’t believe you are allowed to advertise on this blog for free!!!
I expect your comments to be gone in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 2:00 pm:
They’re already gone. All of them, and he’s banned for life. I hate spammers.
- RJW - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 2:05 pm:
@Conservative Republican:
I’m not on anybody’s side here, but let me point out that you are simply not going to fix a problem of this size without some sort of tax increase. It can’t be done. Period. Those who say it can are simply lying to themselves. Now, that does not mean I agree to Quinn’s “new” tact this year. You can pass the tax cut but you are still going to have to cut dollars for education because they have a lot of money in the budget. It is completely irresponsible to suggest that a tax increase could save the education cuts.
L-I-A-R.
As for Brady, he doesn’t even understand the budget and he demonstrates it daily when he talks about the numbers. He doesn’t even admit the size of the hole in the budget. And to say his 10% across the board cuts balance the budget is also a lie. L-I-A-R.
Nice choices for Governor we have . . .
- Joe from Joliet - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 2:48 pm:
Interesting how fast Edgar’s reputation soared with the 10QUINNs. Since the primary he has been slathered as being an old dud. One sentence later and they regard the guy as the economic know-it-all.
- Will County Woman - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 3:39 pm:
I listened to what edgar said the other day, he’s entitled to his views. hopefully brady took the criticism constructively and will work to craft a budget policy that is more realistic under the state’s fiscal circumstances. i agree with others that we aren’t living in ideal times here, so he needs to build his credibility by crafting a budget that speaks to and addresses the reality in which we are in. above all brady needs to start moving center, part of that means making adjustments and modifcations. part of that includes talking about fixing things i.e. the budget and people’s quality of life/living in this state.
brady needs to understand that the newspaper editorial boards (e.g., sj-r or pantagragh as a recent as this week) essentatially have said the same things about him on the budget that edgar said. so, he shouldn’t take what edgar said personally.
- Dnstateanon - Friday, Mar 12, 10 @ 4:44 am:
You all do a great job twisting the words of who you dislike so you can call them Liars, what’s that make you.
The $4 billion Brady is talking that causes the unbalance is the unpaid Bills owed to State Vendors he is indicating that the Budget isn’t Constitutional, the rest is loan debt.