* One of the things we always watch during the Democrat and Republican State Fair days is who shows up to float their names for higher office. Nobody did that during the Democratic affair Wednesday because of the massive AFSCME protest. But there were some hopefuls at Republican Day…
Senator Dillard and at least three other elected officials at the state party convention say Pat Quinn’s latest political trouble is another reason for them to consider running for governor in 2014.
“Certainly what happened yesterday has me even more focused on whether I will run statewide again,” Dillard said.
“Let me just say bluntly, it’s an option that’s out there,” said Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford.
“I’m certainly going to take a very serious look at it after the first of the year,” said Sen. Bill Brady, (R) Bloomington.
“If there’s an interest in me running, I’m interested in helping the state turnaround,” said Sen. Murphy.
But party chairman Brady said it was too early to think about 2014.
“Every Republican should concentrate on getting Republicans elected this November,” said Brady. “There’s plenty of time to think about 2014.”
Kazillionaire Bruce Rauner didn’t show up. Rauner is considered a likely gubernatorial prospect, as is Congressman Aaron Schock, who also wasn’t around.
* Yesterday’s crowd wasn’t exactly enthusiastic…
“I haven’t heard any speaker drowned out by boos, but I haven’t heard a lot of excitement out there either,” said Rodney Davis, the party’s nominee in the 13th Congressional District, which includes part of Springfield.
“Hey, who wants Republican victories in November?” he asked. That generated a round of cheering and applause.
* Dave Dahl used dead air to craft a pretty funny intro to his report about the general lack of enthusiasm…
* Amanda Vinicki also played up the contrasts in sounds…
* Chairman Brady hired a leprechaun to spice things up a bit…
On Thursday, the state GOP put a bull’s eye on Madigan, the House speaker and chairman of the state Democratic Party. Party loyalists hoisted signs that read “Save Illinois. Fire Madigan.”
A leprechaun also wandered about during the rally, carrying a sign that said, “Madigan stole my poto’ gold.”
“The message you need to drive home to … each one of your precinct workers, to everyone you talk to in the next 83 days is that a vote for any Democrat in the state of Illinois is a vote for Mike Madigan,” Brady told the crowd. “He’s been down there 42 years. He’s taken us to the brink of financial collapse. The problems we face today are his problems, and it’s time for Mike Madigan to go.”
* The “Fire Madigan” sign…
* More on MJM…
House Republican leader Tom Cross called on Madigan to “quit the games” that have led to deadlock on comprehensive pension legislation that would rein in costs of a state retirement system hurtling toward a $93 billion debt by next summer.
“I think Mike needs to look in the mirror and accept the fact that he’s been here for 40 years, and every single problem we have has his fingerprints on it,” said Cross, who has been in the House since 1993. “We all need to act like adults, quit the politics and get this done.”
* More…
Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said GOP leaders and voters are united because of dissatisfaction with Democratic leadership, from the Illinois Capitol to the White House.
“I look at what’s going on in our races, and we’ve got a lot of folks from the far right to the middle and the left that are working with us. People are disgusted with what’s going on. This is all about finances, about the budget, about the pension,” Cross said.
* And this prediction about Democratic-leaning public employee union members staying home on election day would be more accurate if it wasn’t a presidential year. But they may skip over some down-ballot races…
“I think the protest you saw yesterday is representative of larger anger throughout the state of Illinois with the failed policies of Mike Madigan and Pat Quinn,” said Pat Brady, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.
Party leaders acknowledged it may be difficult to get union members to vote Republican, although they promised to reach out to organized labor, but they predicted frustrated union members will stay home instead of working hard for Democratic candidates.
* Related…
* Same-sex marriage advocates seek support at state fair
* Friday’s highlights at the Illinois State Fair
* State Fair harness racing cut short by storm
* 10 years, no bites for state fair snakehandler
* Illinois State Fair vendor introduces the ‘buca-wich’
LIVE session coverage...
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 10:42 am:
“I think Tom Cross needs to look in the mirror and accept the fact that he’s been there for 18 years, and every single problem we have as a Republican House Caucus has his fingerprints on it. Tom Cross needs to act like an adult, quit the GOLF and act like someone interested in being Speaker, or move on from being House Minority Leader.”
- Demoralized - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 11:03 am:
A leprechaun? Really? Why the Republicans let Pat Brady run their party completely baffles my mind.
- just sayin' - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 11:18 am:
It’s mind-boggling how incredibly inept the IL GOP remains.
Pat Brady must be a Democrat mole. It’s nearly impossible to believe a state gop chairman would be this helpful to the Democrats by accident.
Paying for a leprechaun? Seriously Pat?
The IL GOP should start issuing brown paper bags for embarrassed Republicans to wear on their heads.
- the Other Anonymous - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 11:22 am:
I wonder how much of the message “a vote for a Democrat is a vote for Mike Madigan” is data driven, and how much is simply frustration over not being able to win against Madigan for decades?
- walkinfool - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 11:39 am:
BTW: The leprechaun was also there the day before, demonstrating against Democrats. I took him for an AFSCME member.
- reformer - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 12:30 pm:
O Willy
Good point. Cross is quick to point fingers, while slow to accept responsibility for his 18 years.
Cross voted for the 1995 GOP pension bill, for example, that codified underpayment into the system for another 15 years and backloaded the payments, leading directly to the current crisis. How about taking your share of the blame, Tom???
The fact is the IL GOP doesn’t have much to celebrate. Obama will again carry this state in a landslide. Dems will pick up at least two congressional seats and will maintain firm control of the General Assembly. In short, November will be a debacle for the state GOP.
- Cheswick - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 12:42 pm:
Mike Madigan has been there the entire time, always doing the same thing, then and now, and the Republicans chose now to draw everyone’s attention towards him.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 1:33 pm:
Yesterday was silly. It was quite boring. If Rodney Davis and Treasurer Rutherford hadn’t been there to whoop up the crowd, it would’ve been even worse. The Leprechaun looks goofy and is more of a distraction than anything. Pat Brady is a knucklehead who needs to step down before he does or says something so stupid that it costs my party votes in key races. The contenders for 2014 needed to be there. Instead, they stayed away and people likely wondered where they were.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 2:00 pm:
===who needs to step down before he does or says something so stupid that it costs my party votes in key races.===
Stay tuned …
- wordslinger - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 2:10 pm:
I don’t know how effective whacking Madigan in swing districts, but it keeps the Tribbies happy.
Despite the red meat blame-game Cross engaged in at the fair, he sang a different and more realistic tune to Illinois Watchdog.
–“I don’t think that at the end of the day — as much as I think it would be nice to say we’ve got an agreement on pension reform — I don’t think that realistically is going to happen. That doesn’t mean anybody’s bad. It’s just hard for folks to agree to this kind of issue. It’s very controversial and it has an impact on folks.”–
http://watchdog.org/48608/il-cross-pension-conversation-not-going-away/
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 2:40 pm:
===”Let me just say bluntly,…”===
“Let me say this bluntly ….”
“…there is no way I am going to stay at Treasurer”
“…get use to saying ‘Governor Rutherford’ …”
“…by sundown tomorrow … oops, sorry that was for Sen. Dillard.”
“… Pongee thinks his Treasurer needs a promotion.”
“…running the Treasurer’s Office is boring, I need more of a challenge…”
“…Facebook and Twitter are my Secret Weapon.”
“…I only self-promote because who else can promomte me better than me?”
“…I’d gladly match my experi … what? … oops, sorry, that is Jason Plummer’s.”
“…I care about the ILGOP, I just care about Dan Rutherford more …”
“…I ran against Jesse, I am not a lawyer, Comptroller is lower than Treasurer in the list… you do the math on what I am thinking!”
“…I like the IDEA of being Treasurer, but being Treasurer ain’t THAT great compared to where I want to go …”
“…the ‘Cash Dash’ re-branding is pure Gold!”
“…as far as running a goof Treasurer’s Office, my staff runs a great Campaign …”
- Anyone Remember? - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 3:39 pm:
Anyone near Springfield catch Pat Brady on Thursday peddling his song and dance about Mike Madigan’s 2005 “pension holiday” on WMAY with Jim Leach?
As Pension Junkie pointed out on this very page on May 31, 2012
http://capitolfax.com/2012/05/31/the-next-time-you-blame-the-state-for-skipping-pension-payments-remember-this/
in her FY 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the State, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka pointed out this “borrowing” was repaid by the end of FY 2010.
Check out Junkie’s entire post - worth the read!
- Anyone Remember? - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 3:41 pm:
Excuse me - that was the FY 2010 CAFR.
- John - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 5:20 pm:
Pat Brady needs to resign. As a Republican I have found the way he has ran this party is nothing short of a joke and that is being nice. He and Tom Cross both need to resign and go back to doing what they were doing before.
- Eastsider - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 7:55 pm:
Pat Brady should resign, really. Better fundraising, consistent messaging, stronger GOTV than ever before. Yeah, he’s doing a crappy job
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 8:12 pm:
===Pat Brady should resign, really. Better fundraising, consistent messaging, stronger GOTV than ever before. Yeah, he’s doing a crappy job===
Better fundraising - To whom? The Dems seem to be leading in the cash … again …better than before? Heck, the ILGOP use to ask for $$$ to make payroll so anything better than that is “better” …
consistent messaging - “Madigan, Madigan, Madigan ….Speaker …. Madigan, Madigan … Speaker … Speaker, Speaker, Speaker!”
stronger GOTV than ever before - Two. Words. - Bill. Brady. - GOTV was a strong if not mitigating factor in state Senator Bill
Brady, staying, state Senator Bill Brady.
Yeah, he’s doing a crappy job - I am glad you agree!
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 8:14 pm:
I am sure by now you KNEW the above was from me. Hate when the Laptop resets.
Full disclosure. Sorry
- The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 10:31 pm:
“…Facebook and Twitter are my Secret Weapon.”
Well, if Dan really belives that, it’s (IMHO) a step up from “Jackie O” not blogging because, well…she’s Jackie O. (At least Dan’s trying to tap into something that others seem to realize–AND HAVE PROVEN–has potential.)
Willy, what did you think of Jason’s performance during the debate? I listened to it last night and thought he did EXTREMELY well. Quite a step up from that unfortunate interview some seem unable to forget.
- The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 10:38 pm:
The battle between Eastsider and “Anonymous” is interesting. From what I recall, there was a post on this blog a few weeks ago by someone claiming that most of the GOP “heavies” in the State are no longer sending dollars to ILGOP.
Which is the truth? Actual numbers would help.
- The REAL Anonymous fka Anonymous - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 10:40 pm:
=Full disclosure. Sorry=
Thank goodness. I can now save Rich some space on his servers by going back to simply “Anonymous.” ;)
- wordslinger - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 10:49 pm:
===Pat Brady should resign, really. Better fundraising, consistent messaging, stronger GOTV than ever before. Yeah, he’s doing a crappy job===
Sure. Because in 2010, in a national GOP tidal wave, there was no way to beat the invincible, titanic Pat Quinn, who had a horrible economy, messed up budget and Blago hanging around his neck.
Is this the time we hear the lunacy from the 98 Counties Romantics? How about 29% in Cook Losers?
Back in the day, Republicans could win or at least push back with 40% in Cook. The suburbs were bedrock GOP.
How’s that going now? Is DuPage, Lake, and Will bedrock GOP?
I guess Republicans like Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, Thompson, Edgar, Ryan, just couldn’t relate to the long-term game plan of today’s Illinois GOP.
How long is this plan, anyway? The new map hurts, but it really doesn’t matter. Certainly, the plan is longer than 10 years.
At the fair the other day, the GOP braintrust was talking about how they liked their chances because of a lousy economy and high unemployment.
Clearly now, based on a do-nothing about pensions, they’re hoping a ratings downgrade will help them pick up a couple of GA seats.
Disgusting policy and stupid politics. Doing nothing didn’t work in 2010. Why would it now?
These guys watched a back-bench state senator from the South Side waltz into the White House, and the only obstacle they threw in his way was Alan Keyes. What is wrong with this crew?
Believe me, it’s a way different state than the one I grew up in. Who, or what groups, are going to return the Illinois GOP to where they should be, here and in the nation?
Cast out your whack jobs and get to work. What do you have to lose. You’re lost.
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 11:08 pm:
=Who, or what groups, are going to return the Illinois GOP to where they should be, here and in the nation? =
I think that at the national level, Reince Priebus is doing a very nice job…and I LIKE his Midwestern values.
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 17, 12 @ 11:52 pm:
“…Facebook and Twitter are my Secret Weapon.”
“…I only self-promote because who else can promomte me better than me?”
Willy, those two quotes right next to one another are a bit disturbing. You’re not making a sales pitch for more hefty volunteer consulting gigs for the other secret weapon, are you? If so, heaven help poor Dan.
- Oswego Willy - Saturday, Aug 18, 12 @ 12:27 am:
- wordslinger -,
I can not say things better.
Why do I even try ….
Thanks, and AMEN.
Someone will hear these pleas … I hope.
- Oswego Willy - Saturday, Aug 18, 12 @ 11:57 am:
===Willy, those two quotes right next to one another are a bit disturbing. You’re not making a sales pitch for more hefty volunteer consulting gigs for the other secret weapon, are you? If so, heaven help poor Dan.===
I claim no expertise in anything … Heaven help Dan for Dan … no one fears me, for sure …