* As I told you earlier, Gov. Quinn is expected to issue an amendatory veto on the McCormick Place reform bill soon. He’s going to use the so-called “departure tax” hike as an excuse, according to an e-mail from his campaign. The reform bill doubles the tax on cab rides leaving O’Hare and Midway airports to fund Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, with 25 percent going to Rosemont’s convention center. Take it away, Quinn campaign…
As we know, Brady voted for the McPier reforms and is urging for it to be signed as is. However, the reform doubles the departure tax. It is raised by 100%.
This from the person who recently signed the “no tax pledge” - and has spent the last few months publicly railing against any taxes - yet he voted for this tax increase.
One of the first chances he had to vote for a hike in taxes, he took it.
And someone should ask him if he knows where the money from the departure tax goes. This tax is already going to McPier and it collects about $8 million annually. This is estimated to collect another $8 million, 75% of the new revenue would go to CCTB to help market McPier. 25% of this would go to also market the Rosemont convention center.
Here is the Brady campaign press release issued after I wrote that Quinn would likely AV the McPier bill…
Bill Brady, Candidate for Governor, released the following statement on McCormick Place Reform today;
Why is Pat Quinn standing against jobs and reform? This is a clear opportunity to be on the side of growth and to make a clean break from insider Illinois politics. Today the bill went to the Governor’s desk; he has no more excuses. He should sign the bill. This is bipartisan and has widespread support for a good reason: It will mean jobs and reform.
Several trade shows have canceled here and others waiting before making future commitments. This could mean the loss of a billion dollars in local spending. As I said last week, Pat Quinn has failed the children of Chicago by opposing the Meeks school voucher bill, and he is failing the people of the Pullman neighborhood.
I hope Governor Quinn, on behalf of the people of Chicago, gets this one right and signs the bill.
LIVE session coverage...
- Park - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 8:33 pm:
This all ends June 3d.
Please (really, PLEASE) stop treating us like we all have a 70 I.Q.
I blame a lot of this on the too-early primary. June next time?
- Excessively Rabid - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 9:11 pm:
Columbus Day. And no primary campaigns until the state operating budget is signed.
- Edge - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 9:41 pm:
Quinn’s response is better than Brady’s. It kills me that Brady has all the benefits of the political environment in this cycle and he can’t get his act together against Quinn.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 10:05 pm:
Technically, Quinn gets points for a zinger, but I doubt if it resonates too much.
It does make you wonder, though, if Brady knew what was in the bill.
- 47th Ward - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 10:10 pm:
Good for the Quinn crew for getting some political use out of signing the bill. At least now, every time Brady promises to oppose taxes, Quinn can rub his nose in this. For the next four and a half months.
McPier was shoved down his throat and now he might get some lemonade out of this afterall. Well played.
It’s weird though: Quinn hitting Brady on tax increases and Brady hitting back on jobs. I didn’t see that coming.
- Chubs Mahoney - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 10:49 pm:
CABBIES FOR QUINN!
- just sayin' - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 11:13 pm:
In Brady’s mind he didn’t break his pledge. He means HIS taxes won’t be raised, from zero.
It’s all semantics.
- Ghost - Tuesday, May 25, 10 @ 11:53 pm:
Brady voting to raise taxes, voting to support bills that benefit him personally, running with Plummer who will not tunr over his tax returns even after the State GOP called for disclosure….
Quinn must have been very good in his first life
- downstater - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 5:49 am:
Hey Governor,
Lead us with your brilliance. Your party controls everything in the state. Trying to be a leader while complaining about what you are seeing in the rearview mirror makes you look weak and innefective.
Bill Brady didn’t get us into this mess. And you aren’t showing any real “creative” solutions to getting us out.
Keep blasting on Brady every chance you get. The people of the state of Illinois are reminded of how bad this state is every day. You mentioning Bill’s name only reinforces the idea that your time has ended.
- CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 7:29 am:
Brady’s Champaign Real Estate Scandal will sizzle all summer. How many more crooked deal will the media find? Over/under? 10
- jonbtuba - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 8:32 am:
CircularFiringSquad, has Brady even shown up for that many votes?
I expect Brady to say “it’s semantics” when asked why, in spite of campaigning against all tax increases, he voted to raise taxes with this bill
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 9:05 am:
There are not enough voters to care about this, and the more it is spun, the less they will care.
Spinning isn’t working on voters. They are too cynical. They are looking for authenticity which neither candidate offers. What we are seeing however is that voters will be voting for new faces over old ones.
The spinmeisters will have to try extra hard this year on Brady because voters are still leaning towards change over status quo. But, the harder they try, the phonier it all appears.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 9:15 am:
If my math is correct, that’s about a $6 million bump for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.
That’s a lot of money for those guys, and bears watching since it’s a private governing board spending public money. Some interesting names on that board: Bill Hogan, Billy Marovitz, Dennis Gannon, Ricky Simon (definitely not related to Paul or Sheila, but an interesting character in and of himself).
- D.P. Gumby - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 9:20 am:
Is this the first showing of Quinn’s jr. high campaign manager?? If so, well played.
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 9:32 am:
- Spinning isn’t working on voters. -
It’s not spinning when Brady pledges not to raise taxes and then votes to raise taxes. Thats called hypocrisy, or not understanding what you’re voting on. Either way, its a fair point to bring up whether you think enough people care or not.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 26, 10 @ 9:40 am:
Which candidate do voters believe will not raise their taxes? The one who says he will, or the one who says he won’t? The one who is making a fool of himself by saying he won’t, or the one making a fool of himself by standing up for raising taxes but not finding support from his own party to do it?
Voters believe Brady will rather gas puppies than raise their taxes. Voters believe Quinn will raise taxes, because he is on record for doing so.
So this entire spin is ridiculous because it will not dent the perception that Brady will rather crash the state government than raise taxes.
And what the heck is McPier anyway to people, who, the vast majority of voters - don’t care about Chicago’s convention business, Chicago or state government. Voters care about themselves.
You cannot spin this mess into a message that will reverberate with voters unless you bludgeon folks with it - and it isn’t important enough for them to listen and care after the first seconds after they realize it doesn’t effect them immediately.
Voters are not believing spin. The don’t trust politicians and they do not trust mass media enough to swallow any opinions regarding an issue that doesn’t directly effect them.
That’s just the way it is this year.