27 Comments - Squishy moderate - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 8:08 am: Can it be said that Rod is scared about this election, and therefore he feels the need to move on these ads this early, as well as been a negative campaign against Topinka? I am taking no sides, just curious what others think. - DOWNSTATE - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 8:33 am: This is and has been their attitude.If you are not on their side there is an attempt of total destruction.Look at what this has done to the state and it’s agencies.I think in the end this will defeat them.People are tired of this partisan destruction. - The original Bill - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 8:46 am: Down, There is still time to join the winning side and avoid destruction. - the Patriot - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 8:47 am: About time, we expected him to hammer away at her most of the summer. The problem for Rod is he can’s spend 20 million in the last 30 days but being on the attack now will take the shock value off by Nov, and give her plenty of time to turn the attention back to him. Maybe he should give 500k of his warchest to a bunch of R-legislators to push the budget and his capitol improvments bill. The press over a bipatisan effort to push his agenda would be worth more then the commercials he could buy. At 500k a pop he could put 20 legislators in his pocket and still have 7-10 to hammer Judy. With all his money why didn’t one of his advisors think of that? - The original Bill - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 8:53 am: Patriot, As much as the Repubs like and encourage Pay to Play and have so much experience in playing, the governor has ended it in his administration. Good idea, though! - Sound Reasoning - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 9:00 am: It’s obvious from how the Blago campaign is conducting itself that they are indeed quite afraid. You’ve got to give them some credit though as they’re scared and pulling out all stops in an attempt to secure victory this November. Even if they ultimately win it doesn’t mean its right what this administration has done and is still doing to the state. Blago is continuing the corrupt ways of Ryan and he’s pushing a socialist agenda, seemingly patterned after France’s form of governing, where the government provides everything to everyone of course at taxpayer’s expense. If Blago goes on to win I want to see how all his defenders respond after we have another 4 years of massive new programs with no way to pay for them , further years of corruption and investigations, further ignoring the state’s current bills and driving this state down economically even further. One of this administrations current supporters that I spoke to stated ‘the Governor might be a b@$t@rd but at least he’s our b@$t@rd’. What a way to view the world of politics. - DOWNSTATE - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 9:12 am: Sorry Bill I will stay on this side and watch as the entire Democratic party crashes over massive debt and the highest taxes in the nation.Oh by the way why is this bunch so afraid?I guess they know that the voters are taking a hard look at Blago and they want to see him gone. - Shallow Pharnyx - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 9:27 am: The o Bill, Doesn’t pay-to-play include accepting big contributions in return for lucrative, no-bid contracts? If so, what governor are you writing about? - Anonymous - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 9:30 am: He has to spend his warchest now before it gets frozen by the feds. - Bluefish - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 9:33 am: Who slipped the illegal stuff into Bill’s kool-aid this morning? Ended pay to play? How about mastered it? - grand old partisan - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 9:40 am: I certainly hope Judy’s people plan on putting together a nice “comparative” spot featuring a fleet of semi trucks rolling down I-55 towards Springfield and a reminder that the Governor has taken over $22k worth of contributions from Chicago’s Hired Truck Program. - George Ryan's Museum - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 10:34 am: Funny that Blago is taking credit for Ryan’s work on his campaign website: • 500,000: That’s also the number of visitors to the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum since it opened in April. The governor has made the library and museum a top priority, and the efforts have paid off - Boone Logan Square - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 10:49 am: Rod will go negative early and go negative late, with a bunch of positive ads about his vision in between. No idea who’ll buy into the positive ads at this point, but tarring Judy now will be effective. - zatoichi - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 10:49 am: Looks like the campaign is going to turn into a “slobberknocker”. Can’t wait to read and hear all the spin for the claims, comparatives, and counter accusations that are to come. Some of it might actually be factual. As the French court guys used to say on SNL, it should be delicious. Have to wonder if Rod is blasting already, is JBT going for the Rope-a-Dope? - The original Bill - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 11:18 am: Downstate, Illinois is a very low tax state not one of the highest,but don’t let the truth stop you. - DOWNSTATE - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 11:31 am: Bill did not mean we are it is what we will be in the future if he is re-elected. - DOWNSTATE - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 12:06 pm: Good possibility that the Gov.’s people know that JBT has enough votes to defeat him.So if they go and stay negative maybe enough people will be turned off and not vote. - B Hicks - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 12:27 pm: It’s all going to backfire, he’s scared; a desperate, desperate, man! Sit back and watch how the pros operate. The R’s will be looking for a replacement candidate by mid-June. - Anonymous - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 12:56 pm: Hey, this worked for Edgar. Remember the ads? 42% tax increase (3% up to 4.25%) and against the death penalty. Badabing badaboom. And Dawn is dead in the water. When she decides to respond, Edgar has a heart attack/heart surgery and Dawn has to pull her ads. (I believe Edgar continued to run his negative ones, though). Then the whole 1994 Republican Revolution thing happened, so Edgar was probably safe (every incumbent Republican Governor, Congressman and Senator won). Rod may be a putz and a liar, but this is an effective strategy–tried and tested by “Gentleman Jim” Edgar - Pat C (soon to be me again) - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 1:14 pm: It’s in the Clinton playbook also. Clinton ran early against Dole and coasted to the election. I guess Rod wanted to wait until the verdict was in to see just HOW to tie JBT to Ryan. - Papa Legba - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 2:03 pm: Bluefish - Come to think of it mastering pay-to-play (and taking it to a new level) has be Blago’s one and only success. If you don’t count massively increasing the states debt and leading all the world’s politicians in unfunded, unworkable puffery programs. But we the public aren’t supposed to follow the progress of those programs, we should just believe in Blago they are there and wonderful for the people. - DOWNSTATE - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 2:12 pm: Just read were he is behind Topinka in Costello’s district and that has as been hard-core Democrat.Plus Costello handed him that district on a silver platter.I guess the people will vote this time on job performance.That’s if they can quit laughing long enough. - The original Bill - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 2:38 pm: Pops, Haven’t you heard? Not everyone is a rich, elitist Reupblican. Some children actually need health insurance. Some college students or their families actually have to pay their own tuition. Some people even have to send their children to public schools. Some seniors cannot afford their medicine. The real people of Illinois will vote for the candidate that has spent his entire career in public service looking out for the little guy, the senior citizen, the student, the less fortunate. The real people of Illinois know who is on their side and which party has their best interests at heart. That is why, come election day, the voters will choose their candidate, Rod Blagojevich to continue the progress which has taken place during his first term after 27 years of stagnation and neglect. In only 3 1/2 years, The Governor and the Democratic legislature: Raised the minimum wage, Provided access to health insurance for children, Increased funding for education by 2.3 billion dollars, more than any other Gov.. We need another term to insure universal pre-school, tuition tax credits for college students, fix the pension crisis caused by three decades of Republican raids, ban assault weapons, all without raising income taxes so that Illinois citizens can keep more of their hard earned salaries. In the past 3 years we have made Illinois work for its citizens, not the other way around. The best is yet to come. We, the people shall prevail. - Sound Reasoning - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 4:04 pm: So these are the Governor’s successes: Raised the minimum wage - Forcing many small companies and mom and pop stores into bankruptcy or relocating out of state. Provided access to health insurance for children - By creating a program that even the administration can’t give a consistant figure as to how much it will eventually cost the state taxpayer in the future or where that possible future funding may come from. Increase education funding by 2.3 billion dollars - This figure was derived by an administration using math that fails even a 3rd grade education. If you increase education by 5 dollars the first year and then by 5 dollars the second year you only have a total increase of 10 dollars. This administration considers this a 15 dollar increase because they carry forward the first year increase and add it again. Try this in any math class and see how far this gets you. No one should ever use figures provided by this administration because the auditor general has found them in error in every single instance that has been inspected. They’re going to fix the pension system? Wait its the Governor and the Democratic legislature that chose to ignore funding for the pension system for over two years. This is money that not only has to be paid back but with interest costing the state taxpayer even more. Ban assault weapons - This might be a good thing if they could even decide what constitutes the definition of an assault weapon. Under their current vague definition a perfectly legal hunting rifle could have 100 dollars worth of plastic parts put on it and it then becomes an assault weapon. Even though these parts do not increase its rate of fire, concealability, or lethality. All this without raising income taxes - But raising almost every other form of tax…oh that’s right they don’t call them taxes they call them fees and by giving them a new name they’re no longer taxes. So we don’t have to pay more taxes at tax time just at every point in our lives throughout the year. I’m glad the state is now working for its citizens. - Papa Legba - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 5:38 pm: The original Bill - Do we need to start calling people names? I don’t think so. I am all for “Socialized” programs, if they would work and if they could be paid for. As of now Illinois is almost $2 Billion behind on payments to pharmacies, doctors and many other health care providers. As of now Illinois has not implemented many of GRod’s Press Release Programs. Though one I know of, cheap medication for seniors, has been a failure. Oh yea, don’t forget the flu shot stunt. I’m just trying to state the obvious and not resort to name calling. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 5:49 pm: Original Bill, that $2.3 billion for education is not an accurate figure. Finke explains why (scroll down) ===In his budget speech and in his new TV ad, Blagojevich talked about increasing education spending in the first three years of his term by more than $2 billion. According to the governor’s own numbers, education spending went up $400 million his first year, $389 million his second year and $330 million his third year. Add them up and it comes to about $1.12 billion. That’s not bad, but it isn’t $2 billion. This may come as a surprise, but the Blagojevich administration adds things differently. We’ll try to explain. Education spending went up $400 million the first year and $389 million the second. To Blagojevich, that’s about a $1.2 billion increase because you get to count the $400 million increase both in the first year and the second year. So at this point in his term, the Blagojevich education equation (in millions) is $400 plus $400 plus $400 plus $389 plus $389 plus $330 equals $2.3 billion. As far as we know, no other administration has counted money that way, but Blagojevich did promise to change the way things are done in Springfield.===== - Anon - Thursday, Apr 20, 06 @ 10:41 pm: Hmmm, I’ve seen the ads several times tonight and Topinka is right, Rod is wrong … minimum wage should not be increased and Bush is doing a good job and the proposed assault weapons bans have been drafted very broadly (not to mention that gun control is just plain unconstitutional). Thanks to Rod’s camp for giving me more positives about JBT (her vote against mandatory seat belts was a definitely a positive and these commercials give me more). Rod is clearly big government and big spending which is not the right path and is a misuse of my tax dollars. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.