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Expect more of this sort of thing. Blagojevich will make a politically popular but liberal proposal, and Topinka will be forced to say no.
Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich fired the first salvo of the general election campaign Wednesday by challenging Republican foe Judy Baar Topinka to back a $1-an-hour increase in the state’s minimum wage.“My opponent … didn’t lift a finger, ducked the issue of whether she was for a minimum wage increase,†Blagojevich said at a campaign news conference on Chicago’s Northwest Side a few blocks from where he grew up.
Topinka offered a frank retort, offering a preview of what the next seven-plus months are going to be like.
“Oh my goodness, I guess he’s been polling again and we’re going to do another giveaway program. He specializes in that,†she said while walking into a GOP unity breakfast Wednesday morning. “Things that can’t be afforded or can be foisted onto someone else.â€
Topinka, however, said she’s not ready to support increasing the minimum wage to $7.50 an hour.
UPDATE: Greg Blankenship disagrees, and he has a good point.
I guess that I disagree with Rich that JBT will be forced to say no to these popular programs. She will have a choice. She can say no, that we can’t afford it. Or, she can say not only can we do it, we can do it more effectively and more efficiently. The difference is that our way enriches the individual and Rod’s way makes us poorer.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 6:02 am
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Why doesn’t she up the ante and propose a $2/hr increase?
After all, it is other people’s money they are playing with.
And lower income level people need the increase to offset all the fees and taxes the cities and the state keep increasing.
Comment by Leroy Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 6:09 am
If it is that much there will be at least 2 people unemployed from businesses I own.Blago already loaded us down with all the fee increases the last time he came up with a bunch of bright ideas.More of his give away vote for me.Does he realize how many small businesses this will hurt.We just lost another factory 90 people because the business climate is friendlier in other states.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 6:19 am
I like how blago says “we raised the minumum wage”, “we gave gays more rights”, etc. when blago had nothing to do with these things. They had been advanced by the dems in the legislative branch for years, and were stopped in the senate by Pate Phillip every time. Once pate was gone, the democratic senate agenda could finally be advanced. Blago thinks he’s allt hree legislative branches in one, not just the executive, and he takes credit for the years of work dones by senators and representatives.
Comment by Gregor Samsa Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 7:24 am
Blago is the last person to talk about ducking an issue - he didn’t even debate his challenger in the primary.
However, I am concerned how this wage rate would affect the small businesses in IL.
Comment by Marta Elena Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 7:27 am
People see throught this. Read some of the stuff among Democrats Nationally on why they lose Nationally. It’s insightful stuff. The debate can apply just as well to Illinois Republicans who face much the same problems as the Dems Nationally.
From Al Quinlin on Authenicity,
Another critical quality that can show a candidate’s authenticity is decisiveness and shooting straight. When a tough issue or debate comes at them, they don’t turn and hide. They say what they really mean, in straight talk.
Perhaps the most popular Mayor in the country in the past decade is Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago. His governing style is based on decisiveness, taking charge, and standing firm.
Daley took control of the city’s public schools ten years ago in what would have been viewed as a political power grab in most places. But he was given credit for taking a stand and taking responsibility to solve a problem. His decisiveness allows Chicagoans to trust him and trust that he will lead them.
JBT and Birkett are far more authentic then Blagojevich (Quinn is). That’s gonna count.
Comment by Bill Baar Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 8:08 am
I agree with Leroy. She should propose something even more generous. Or say nothing and let the business community carry the fight while she “ponders the issues” and tries to come up with a real alternative plan.
One would expect Blago to do bread and circuses until the election because on the surface that’s what pulls in the most voters. And the fact that he hasn’t raised income taxes to do it is a huge plus. Money is fungible and nobody believes the state (or federal) government doesn’t have enough money to do anything its leaders want to do. It’s just a matter of how all the moolah is distributed and to which groups. Certainly on the federal level few complain about the federal devicit and increase in the debt ceiling. It’s too abstract. And here in Illinois, nobody believe the pension fund will go dry….they’ll find the money.
So JBT needs to come up with an attractive competing plan to distribute the moolah. And that’s what campaign managers and consultants are for.
Day after the primary rating for both, I’d say is
win for Blago (minimum wage), neutral for (JBT).
Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 8:10 am
Do the Walter Williams thing and propose a $1million minimum wage. Out of all the candidates, she seems like she has the most personality and seems to be the quickest on her feet. Despite her cring over Bi-Polarweis ™, she can handle herself
Comment by Wumpus Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 8:48 am
Blago is doing risky business. He is basically telling business leaders if you don’t want to buy a contract you have to leave the state or fund Judy’s campaign. Minimum wage earners already can’t afford to shop or eat at the places they work. The fact is more businesses will leave and more business people will support Judy.
It gives the RNC a reason to help Judy so out of state companies can afford to come back into our state.
Good news for Rod is the Chambers of Commerce for our surrounding states may give him some money to facilitate the exodus of IL businesses and consumers into their states.
Comment by the Patriot Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 9:03 am
You if you do a study of this governor he is a socialist Democrat.He want to scoialize medicine,have the goverment set wages,have the goverment care for all the needs of the people.As far as his other free programs we have found out with a new study that the money in the revenue fund is not as much as the projected for this year.Where is the money going to come from.Any more borrowing and the state will go into bankrupcy.Ah yes even a state can go bankrupt.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 9:07 am
Why stop at $7.50? Make it $10. That would give more people a living wage. It would also get more people off PA because making $20,800 a year would disqualify most people for PA and increase taxes. The only question is what to do about those people who get let go, suddenly get moved to part-time with no/few benefits, the company closes because of the increased costs, or Indiana / Iowa / Wisconsin / Kentucky / China / Indonesia / Mexico welcome even more companies to their borders. Of course no company would have internal salary adjustments within their companies to maintain job parity or raise prices to off-set any increases. I’d love to pay New York prices here. What, me worry?
Comment by zatoichi Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 9:30 am
The governor is going to make business owners the bad guy in order to try and get elected.Just like he made state employees when he tried to balance the budget on their back.Each thing he does he trys to make someone the bad guy so he can wear a white hat.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 9:51 am
Welcome to the campaign of transforming Illinois to socialism. Gov Rod “Greg Davis” Blagojevich is attempting to create the California of the midwest. If this happens, I can tell you that businesses will be exiting and Illinois will be economically stagnant. This is just a campaign ploy to get votes and I just hope that voters are smart enough to see the ramifications of increasing the minimum wage even further.
Comment by Lovie's Leather Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 10:08 am
Judy’s comments are right. Blagojevich is trying to win by creating social give away programs without telling anyone where the money is coming from. He not only worships Elvis, he governs like he thinks it is 1958. Maybe thats why old ladies find him hot?
Although he claims to be moving Illinois “forward”, he is actually proposing obsolete social programs designed for the 20th Century. Got a problem? Create a government program. Want a free lunch? We got lots of free lunches for you! He’s sickening.
Blagojevich did not run in 2002 as a socialist, but he is running for re-election as one. In his one term in office he has become the nightmare real progressives feared, and a messiah to lazy gravy-train liberals dreaming of San Francisco’s Summer of Love. Maybe thats why old ladies find him hot?
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 10:53 am
Here I stand as a moderate Republican and long time friend of Judy Baar Topinka, with an observation that I’ve made dozens of times over the last 25 years. It is about what I call the “Republican Disease”. We’re against things, not for things, or at least we allow ourselves to appear that way too frequently to many voters. Those things we are for frequently seem too ephemeral to those looking for solutions.
I know, we say “Government isn’t the solution, it’s the problem”.. That doesn’t get anyone health care, doesn’t improve one kids education, and when people call us on it, we say we’re against gay marriage, which really helps. We look uncaring and disingenous at best, silly and irrelevant at worst.
The Governor and many Democrats offer people actions that at least appear real…health care for all kids, increased funding for schools, expanded pre-school. Because we have rarely offered up affirmative suggestions on these issues, we can’t try to frame the debate as about the preferabilty of our solutions to theirs,and so once again, subject to the Republican Disesae, all we can say is we’re against those things.
Judy and other Republicans are absolutely correct in saying we can’t afford as a State to do those things right now, we need to really stop increased spending for probably 3 years, no matter how worthy the proposed increases. That is a sacrifice that needs to be made (or taxes need to be raised).
So to what end do we want our citizens to make one or the other of these sacrifices? So we can get the State back on solid financial footing, so that then we can finally address education, health care child care by ….what? Turning the government back over to the Democrats? We come full circle and we still have nothing to say about how as Republicans we will address those issues (”Well, we definitely think that allowing concealed carry is important”).
I’ve ranted on far too long, and far too much. So here I stand, a moderate Republican whose fiscal conservatism tells me at the very least we must pay for the programs we enact, not pretend to.
Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 10:59 am
Everytime Rod talks about the minimum wage Judy should hit back with the state’s anemic ranking in job creation. What was it, 46 or 47, in a study that came out last fall?
Minimum wages don’t matter if the jobs aren’t there.
Comment by Down in Egypt Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 11:02 am
A Socialist would create jobs.
Blagojevich isn’t creating jobs.
Here’s how a Socialist thinks today. From Tony Blair’s speech at Faithworks March 22, 2005:
The only politics that works today is one based on partnership with the people. The days when government could “do it for people” are over. They can do it with people or not at all.
Government can’t raise your family. Government alone can’t get you a job. Government on its own can’t, from Whitehall, run the NHS properly, look after the sick and elderly, educate the children in the classroom, mind them when you are at work. Parliament by itself can’t police the streets, give the alienated youngster a place to go or a place to play.
We can help do these things. Government can enable it, fund it, help or hinder those taking on the task. But increasingly, the ultimate difference has to be made by the creativity, ability, and dedication of those on the ground working in partnership with central and local government. It’s a Philosophy of gov more suited to Republicans then Democrats today. There may be reasons Judy dies her hair Red we’re overlooking.
I’m with her.
Comment by Bill Baar Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 11:05 am
Tony Blair is probally the brightest and most articulate politians in the world today. We could all learn from him. Unfortunately, too many in Illinois politics (many of those who are elected) are not teachable.
Comment by Joe Citizen Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 5:29 pm
I think this campaign is going to be very entertaining. Judy is an interesting foil for Blago. Her one liners and common sense views will regularly cut him down to size.
Comment by Bubs Thursday, Mar 23, 06 @ 5:37 pm