Question of the day
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A text message from a very good friend…
you’ll get a kick out of this. [Hillary Clinton] is the keynote speaker for this charity luncheon im at. She just took a swipe at Pat Quinn- who is here- and called him the luckiest politician in the world. The room erupted in laughter.
* The Question: How would you describe Gov. Pat Quinn’s luck?
…Adding… A text from the governor’s office…
From someone sitting in that same room - not me - “it was NOT a swipe - it was friendly! She said she loves working with the Governor and looks forward to continuing to work with him in the future.”
OK, but it’s still funny.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:26 pm:
Forrest Gump-ian Luck!
- MrJM - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:27 pm:
“How would you describe Gov. Pat Quinn’s luck?”
Necessary but insufficient.
– MrJM
- OneMan - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:29 pm:
Epic…
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:29 pm:
The Pat-er Principle. Like the Peter Principle but more Land of Lincoln-y.
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:30 pm:
Shortlived
- Mason born - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:33 pm:
Amazing. Just wish it extended to the rest of the State .
PQ is like Icarus with better wax.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:34 pm:
How would you describe Gov. Pat Quinn’s luck?
…imaginary — probably created in an opponent’s focus group or brainstorming session.
- reformer - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:34 pm:
Quinn has the luck that comes from being consistently underestimated his whole career. He was underestimated when he got the Cutback Amendment on the ballot and ratified. When he ran for Treasurer. When he ran for Lt. Gov. And when he ran for Gov in 2010. I predict the GOP will repeat their mistake in ‘14.
- Just Me - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:35 pm:
I’m sure he doesn’t think it is luck.
- TJ - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:36 pm:
Not lucky at all. Just an example that one should be careful for what you wish for…. because you might end up getting it!
- Hans - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:36 pm:
…imaginary — probably created in an opponent’s focus group or brainstorming session.
That was a lousy way of my saying he is skilled.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:47 pm:
I’d say he’s used up so much luck that it’s almost certainly running out. We’ll see. It’s almost like he went down to the cross roads (State and Madison) and sold his soul to Joe Berrios. In the end, he’s likely to wind up paying a big price for that kind of luck.
- ZC - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:47 pm:
Even more so than most politicos, he does seem of late to have had an uncanny knack for being in the right place (and the right race) at the right time.
Of course if you keep running, your odds for getting lucky improve. I don’t think after he lost races in 1994, 1996 and 1998 straight, people were calling him the luckiest man in IL politics.
- Stones - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:51 pm:
“Gump-like”
- William j Kelly - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:51 pm:
I have always described luck as the result of hard work, hard work and hard work. But I guess that’s because my last names not daley;) btw possible Quinn campaign song http://youtu.be/h5EofwRzit0
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:52 pm:
Overrated.
Daley and Madigan backed down from him. Why’s that lucky? He didn’t do anything except say “bring it on.”
There’s a lot you can say about Quinn, but he’s tough and not afraid to mix it up with N-E-Ba-Dee.
He’s also not afraid to lose.
Neither Daley or Madigan can say that at this point in their careers.
Daley was an empty suit. Did anyone really think he was going to stick it out? If you did, what in his history made you think so?
I’ll let others fill us in on the Never-Ending Lisa Conspiracy.
- A guy... - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:53 pm:
As opposed to the unluckiest….who? Maybe her.
- Bill White - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:53 pm:
O’bama grade Irish luck
- Loop Lady - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:55 pm:
either really lucky or really unlucky…
lucky; assumed the office of Governor without an election
unlucky: assumed office of Governor after Blago and the 2008 recession
- Adam Smith - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:12 pm:
Lucky enough to be rescued from the Titanic by a group of great white sharks
- Hans Sanity - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:14 pm:
Who here can think of incumbents being challenged in Illinois gubernatorial or national presidential primaries?
I only come up with Eugene McCarthy & RFK challenging LBJ before Johnson withdrew; Ted Kennedy taking on Jimmy Carter; and Lisa Madigan’s & Bill Daley’s aborted attempts to take on Pat Quinn.
There must be more
And if there are more, do they, too, involve legacy names taking on the incumbent?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:18 pm:
There may be aspects of his life that are luck-related, but I don’t think luck is the foundation of his political career. You make your own luck many times in politics because you show up. Gov. Quinn seems to always show up.
- Irish - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:20 pm:
As Irish lucky as he is, he’s only second to O’bama!
- Levois - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:32 pm:
His luck has been excellent, but who knows if his luck will run out next year.
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:37 pm:
Clintonesquw luck
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:39 pm:
Better yet, Obamaesque luck. He was a senator who had little record (present) of accomplishment in IL. he was smart enought to stay married. This worked out for him 2 times. He then ran against a guy who seemingly didn’t really want to be president in 2012. The economy did not turn around, jobs were still scarce and he still won.
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:40 pm:
I don’t call it luck. It just seems with every wave that rocks and/or topples others’ boats, his stays level on calm waters, like he’s perpetually in the eye of a hurricane.
- OldSmoky2 - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:51 pm:
To paraphrase Dizzy Dean, it ain’t luck if you can back it up.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 3:04 pm:
LOL, 47, down to the crossroads?!
But that raises an important question:
Best live “Crossroads” ever?
I go with Stevie Ray Vaughn, BluesFest, Petrillo Bandshell, 1985, when you could still bring in your own beer before Dollar Bill Wirtz got the concession.
I experienced a better one sometime by Paul Butterfield, indoors in Chicago, shortly before he died, but I can’t narrow down the year or venue. Or much else from that night, lol.
Same tune:
“I was born in Chicago, 1941…..”
- Joe M - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 3:13 pm:
I would describe him as very lucky — because the Republicans seem to keep coming up with very conservative, anti-public union candidates to run against him.
Last election Brady came up with ideas such as if he won, he’d eliminate the Illinois Board of Education and hire professionals to do their work. This time around, Rauner is even more radical than that. He has said once he took office there would be a shut-down of government in Springfield for a while because of the government unions going on strike after he voided all of their contracts. Dillard and Rutherford haven’t really enamored themselves to public employees either with their statements on pensions.
So Quinn can still throw a few stones at state employees and teachers and still get their vote - because look at the alternatives!
- walkinfool - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 3:17 pm:
Good Karma,
from frequently wanting to do right by people.
- Hans Sanity - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 3:30 pm:
Regarding live versions of “Crossroads” — youtube search “Sailin’ Shoes Sam Bush One Take ” — the “Crossroads” portion of the medley begins at about three and a half minutes in….
- D P Gumby - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 3:47 pm:
Like the story of the two kids, the optimist (Quinn) and the pessimist (Daley) who are each given the key to a room. They open the room and it is full of horse dung. The pessimist pouts and says he doesn’t have the fire in his belly and walks away. The optimist starts digging–”With this much horse dung, there must be a pony somewhere”–Quinn has the luck to find the pony after wading through the dung!
- CircularFiringSquad - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 3:57 pm:
It is not luck when the opposition is the IL GOPPies and their wing nut, whack job friends.
Then it is just ….Wednesday
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 4:24 pm:
Luck?
Bill Daley was lucky. If he’d been born to a different father, we never would have heard of him.
Quinn and Obama both planned and fought their way to where they are.
Quinn was blocked from the nomination yet barely lost. He came back in 2002, they tried to block him again, and he won.
Was it “luck” Rod was impeached? Quinn was in the right place to run for governor whenever, but had to do it in 2010 with an albatross around his neck.
Don’t get me wrong, primaries suck, and Quinn is “lucky” he no longer has one, but only in the most common sense place of the word.
Put Rahm Emanuel in that stack too. Say what you want, but from union organizer to mayor of Chicago? That does not happen by “luck.”
You want to talk Lucky, with a Capital L, both Senator Kirk and Congresswoman Duckworth are Lucky to be with us. That is luck where it actually matters.
- ZC - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 4:32 pm:
More on what YDD said.
Anyone who just says Obama was “lucky” has forgotten the 2008 Democratic primary. He just luckily breezed past Hillary Clinton to the nomination? Please.
- Just The Way It Is One - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 8:49 pm:
It’s pretty questionable about him being the luckiest politician in the WORLD, but as of now, I’d say that he is the luckiest politician–at least in Illinois! Also, it’s clear that Hillary was looking to sound “in touch” with a currently hot topic to all of the Illinoisans obviously in attendance, but MOSTly for a good laugh for the folks there…and she GOT it alright!!
- Truth teller - Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 9:58 pm:
You make your own luck. Both Lisa and Bill knew they were in for a street fight. My bet always was with Quinn regardless of who declares their candidacy.