Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Big bucks, big spending for McKenna, and Dillard disagrees with supporter Rios and is endorsed by the CS-T
* The wife of Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna, Mary McKenna, has just contributed $800,000 to her husband’s campaign. That cash is helping to fund a $500,000 per week TV ad buy that’ll last through the rest of the primary race. Rate McKenna’s latest…
Script…
MALE VO:
Illinois: overspent, nearly broke.
Yet, Jim Ryan and Kirk Dillard won’t rule out tax hikes.
Governor Quinn is pushing a 50% tax increase!
Only Andy McKenna can fix this mess with no tax increase.
Andy VO:
This is Andy McKenna. I’m a businessman. We need
to make smart choices,
cut spending and not raise taxes.
* Yesterday, I told you that ultra-conservative radio host Sandy Rios had endorsed GOP state Sen. Kirk Dillard for governor on the same day that she penned a vicious screed questioning Congressman Mark Kirk’s sexuality. Sen. Kirk’s campaign refused to respond when I first called yesterday, but the candidate issued a statement last night…
“I believe the most important issues in this campaign remain balancing our state budget, bringing jobs back to Illinois, and cleaning up corruption in Springfield. My goal is to unite the Republican Party and the voters of Illinois around these important issues and make Illinois work again. I am very grateful for the support from across the party including moderates and conservatives alike. I appreciate the support of Sandy Rios however. I disagree with the recent article published in Town Hall News.”
He is a resolute Republican, committed to limited government and conservative on most social issues.
But he is a pragmatist as well, an essential quality for any Republican wishing to be effective in this Democratic-leaning state. He is cut from the same cloth as several of Illinois’ most successful governors — Richard Ogilvie, Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar. Dillard was, in fact, Gov. Edgar’s chief of staff.
The Chicago Sun-Times endorses Sen. Kirk Dillard for governor in the Feb. 2 Republican primary. No other candidate comes close to matching his experience in the executive and legislative branches of state government, his knowledge of the back doors of power in Springfield, and his proven ability to build cross-party coalitions without abandoning core Republican values.
Dillard has correctly identified the greatest challenge facing Illinois’ next governor — the mountain of debt and unfunded pension obligations undermining our state’s economic competitiveness. His solution is, in part, to freeze all hiring and non-emergency spending, impose zero-based budgeting, reduce Medicaid fraud and trim pension benefits for new employees.
Many of these ideas, frankly, strike us as general and vague. Cut Medicaid fraud? Sure. But how?
On the other hand, grand plans are a dime a dozen — every candidate has one. Far more valuable is the political skill to carry out that plan — and here Dillard stands apart.
* GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft is up on cable with a small buy. Watch it…
* Republican comptroller candidate Jim Dodge has a new Internet video that pokes fun at rival Judy Baar Topinka and uses video footage to skewer the other candidate in the race. Take a look…
By the way, that drunken video footage was first posted to YouTube by William Kelly himself, so it’s fair game.
* Related…
* McKenna says Ryan considers taxpayer protection a “special interest”
* 10th Congressional District election: GOP state Rep. Elizabeth Coulson wins endorsement from former U.S. Rep. John Porter
* Bob Dold Criticizes President Obama for Stepping On Illinois Primary With Rescheduled State of the Union: Dold said the decision to hold it on February 2nd is not only intended for political gain, but it tramples the Illinois Primary Election.
* Village president takes on incumbent in 25th Senate
McKenna’s ad is actually fairly weak. Good thing they have lots of money for outside political consultants - I am sure that will enjoy their vacations on February 3rd.
Proft’s ad is decent but not enought air time.
Seeing alot of Dillard and Ryan ads running in the Springfield/Decatur/Champaign markets.
McKenna’s ad gets straight to the point, and separates himself from the other two B+.
The Sun Times bases their endorsement on the fact that Dillard is an insider. That will hurt him as much as help him. Probably hurt him more on the Republican side.
Dillard’s response to the Rios mess is weak, at best. He needed to fully distance himself from her, but instead scolded her with one hand and patted her on the back with the other.
McKenna is the son of multimillionaire North Shore businessman Andrew McKenna, Sr., the chairman of McDonald’s restaurants, and a board member of Aon Insurance and the Chicago Bears.
So, what’s your business Businessman Andy? Have you ever ran a business $9 Billion dollars in debt and save it by cutting back on it’s budget, or by making “smart choices”?
Even your father has never had to face that kind of situation, has he? You think he would recommend closing McDonalds locations around the world, or do you think he would raise the price of the pre-digested food stuffs leaking through those Happy Meal containers?
Have a nice long chat with your father as you spend his McMoney, will ya? Ask him what he would do if he was elected governor of this sinking ship of state. Then tell us in another TV ad buy. Have your dad face the camera with one of those dark haired wigs you like putting infants under and have him tell us that after his years of being a real businessman, he thinks we can fix this mess by making “smart choices”.
I bet he won’t do it. Because he realizes that anyone spending millions of their father’s hard-earned wages isn’t making any choices that could be considered smart.
That’s the ad for which McKenna is plunking down $500K?! Yikes. In the end, his campaign will look eerily similar to Blair Hull’s or Jim Oberweis’s or Ron Gidwitz’s: big ego businessmen who fall flat on their faces when they voters actually circle in with their pens or press a electronic pen to the screen. What a waste.
Jim Dodge’s ad was hilarious. Too bad it went sour with the “Bob Dole” approach. What hasn’t Jim Dodge done? I expected to hear that he rescued kittens from trees and found a way to trade Alfonso Soriano.
Of the three ads, Proft’s is the most impressive, then Dodge’s, with Andy’s last.
I just don’t believe that Andy can solve our financial meltdown without a tax increase. It might serve him right if he did get elected, had to face fiscal reality and eat his words.
The McKenna family apparently has a significant amount of money for Mrs. McKenna to put in $800,000 for the campaign. That must mean they will won’t be needing any services from the state any time soon. That’s a relief. Cut spending and no new taxes. Great plan. Never, ever heard that basic concept before. Small question: How, who gets cut, and what happens to the people who get cut? Just curious because $9B in unpaid bills from Hynes’ latest newsletter seems a little large when revenue is dropping by $4B from last year.
The parade of Dillard endorsements begins. By Feb 2 Dillard will have been edorsed by media in every corner of the state. As I previouly wrote, Dillard is really taking charge of this race.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:02 am:
Did anyone think the end of that Sun-Times editorial endorsement is oddly written? It makes it seem like they like the litany of conservative issues as the “good/bipartisan” ones. Sure, we know it’s the Sun-Times and weknowhattheymean, but it’s pretty sloppy.
So McKenna has added almost $1 million in the last few days. Not bad. Rich, what is the date when the end-of-2009 reports need to be posted? I remember you saying that McKenna had already raised way more than anyone else.
Also interesting to see the Dillard endorsement. I’ve always thought he sounded reasonable and would be a good candidate. I’m voting in the “D” Primary, but wouldn’t mind voting for a good Republican if that’s what it takes in November.
What’s going on with that ethics probe the Illinois Republican Party launched last month into allegations of unethical conduct by its former chairman Andy McKenna? Can we maybe find out before the primary when it might give voters some info they need?
And new Dan Proft ad: “The issue isn’t whether I took some liberties with the low income people of Cicero….I did.” [h/t Animal House]
Anon 10:42 is right. Dillard’s response to Rios’ outrageous mudslinging is very weak and shows how far he’ll go to court the extreme right and how he has sold his soul to Jack Roeser. It’s a pity. I’d expect better from Dillard.
I agree with Team Sleep. Andy McKenna is 2010’s Blair Hull. I still say his ads are lame. Besides, other than to Republicans, it’s such a non sequitur to say, “we’re broke, so let’s cut taxes.” Huh? How’s that going to make you less broke?
I like Proft’s rip on conventional commercials. Blah blah blah. Funny stuff.
Dodge’s ad needs a professional editor and script writer. Bad.
Jack Ryan’s private life involved a court action (divorce) with a court settlement. The courts are public entities. There is not a similar angle to the Mark Kirk story.
- Middle of the Road - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:44 am:
I haven’t seen a killer ad yet, although Dillard’s downstate ad with the Jim Edgar is actually being received pretty well down in that neck of the woods. However, I still don’t see the people paying much attention yet. They’re worried about getting their cars started and paying their heating bills. This could be a ridiculously low turnout on Feb. 2.
First, Hull was ahead by something like ten points five weeks out. Second, Hull was destroyed by a personal scandal and that was one of the biggest reasons he lost. The only thing those two guys have in common is money.
So, Dillard gets endorsed by the S-T because he plays nice with Democrats and likes Obama? Hardly a compelling message for a REPUBLICAN primary.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:47 am:
I really like the Dodge ad. I give it an A. I’m not comfortable with the idea of giving judy baar topinka the comtroller’s office simply because she was picked over for blago. one of my problems with her in 2006 was that in my view for all of her years in politics she had very little in terms of accomplishments to show for it.
i don’t like the “let’s reward hacks who’ve hung around for a long time with a public office for their loyalty to the party” mentality that goes on in illinois politics.
judy baar needs to get out and work for it and earn it just like the fellas have to.
Andy Mckenna didn’t fix the IL GOP which is still factionalized and fractured, perhaps even more so because of his poor leadership, so how can anyone honestly expect him to fix illinois’ budget problems? Has he ever stood on his own two feet and made anything work independent of his father and his father’s wealth? Does his dad have an extra $12billion just laying around to give to Andy to plug the budget hole? I give Andy’s ad a c.
What I meant is a guy who spent oodles of money with tons of consultants and on lame ads with not a lot to show for it. You’ll recall Blair Hull was ahead for about fifteen minutes before he imploded. In the end he paid about 10 grand a vote and that’s about what I expect from McKenna.
Hull imploded because of allegations of domestic abuse. He had built up a pretty good network and base heading into the election…then the bomb went off and all that was thrown out the window. Had that not happened, he was in a great position to win the Primary. As Rich said, there is absolutely zero comparison with McKenna, other than money. And that’s not exactly an exclusive similarity in politics. Money talks if you put it to good use.
If McKenna wanted to take a shot at Ryan, taxes is one way to do it. Stu Levine and Nicarico are others. But if this was big league pitching, we would see ads about Ryan outsourcing law work on the state’s tobacco settlement for $188 million. Selling management rights to the state pension plan in exchange for campaign contributions. Relationships with banks that were shut down by the IDFPR…Let’s cut to the chase. This is minor leagues.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:09 pm:
Andy McKenna needs to focus less on attacking Ryan and Dillard and more on getting his name out through the media. Dillard has been in the news all week on the early prison release stuff, and that’s good for him. getting his name out through the media not only helps to get his name out in general, since he doesn’t have much money, but it also gives him credibility.
If Mckenna were smart he would set his sights on Quinn exclusively because he’s far more likely to command media attention that way, and raise his credibility factor. I suspect the main reason why he still polled low, at 10 percent in the most recent polls, despite his hair ads was because many republican voters know who he is and don’t consider him very credible.
Mary McKenna LOANED the money to the campaign. Important detail. I view that as indicating his epic fundraising isn’t so epic if she needed to loan the money just in time for those ads.
Also, Dillard taking command of this race? According to everything but the polling data. He’s been flat for 6 months… Undecided, however, is going to win by Alan Keyes margins.
The only GOPer on Chicago network TV is McKenna. Are the other GOPers on cable? Waiting to get on network TV? Ryan or Dillard planning on Chicago network TV?
Ryan’s on network tv in Chicago. I saw it on WGN. I will be looking forward to Andy McKenna and Jim Ryan’s specific answers about the billons they will cut from the state budget and what programs they are coming from at the City-Club this monday morning. Looking forward to some real specific and detailed answers guys.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:15 pm:
I wonder if Dillard is really all that happy to have the Sun-Times endoresement considering the Quinn endorsement by that paper yesterday. From a technically political standpoint, yes you want an endorsement from one of the major newspapers, but the Sun-Times ediotrial board took a beating in the reader comments section of that editorial yesterday.
Many people left comments reminding the Sun-Times that it endorsed Blago in 2006.
Someone above noted that possibly McKenna’s funding dried up.
If one looks at the A-1 filings at the BOE (incomplete because it only covers donations of $500 or above within 30 days of the elecetion–so only a couple of days reported thus far) then one gets the following totals:
Andrzejewski $2,000
Brady $34,800
Dillard $1,750 plus $1,918.04 in kind services for meet and greet.
Proft $11,400
Ryan $54,500
McKenna $909,500 ($800,000 from the Mrs)
So no, his funding hasn’t dried up.
On the Dem side:
Hynes $8,000
Quinn $19,500 plus $33,193.78 in in-kind goodies from the SEIU
Glad to see Proft found a background and lighting that actually helps him. He needs to be dark, very dark, to look good on TV, and it works in this spot. Now if he could only get the lighting dimmed for the upcoming televised debates…
” Tea-bagger Andrzejewski goes for ”
Hey, Rich. They are the tea party not teabaggers.
Please, don’t drink the kool-aid.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:46 pm:
I agree with the Lt Guv candidates who think the office should be eliminated. I had not planned to vote for a Lt Guv for that very reason, and still don’t plan to.
I found it curious they all think its the Lt. Gov’s function to attend military funerals. I’m not saying that shouldn’t if their hearts so desire, but this was a niche that Quinn created for himself, and it was a good one at that, yet they act like it was constitutional duty. It seemed to me to be really disingenuous on their parts.
If Quinn should lose, I hope the republican governor would consider extending an olive branch to Quinn and asking him to serve in some ceremonial capacity related to military/veterans affairs. Ideally Quinn should be allowed to continue leading things like Gold Star Mother etc. If the next governor is a republican this would send a strong signal that there will be efforts made to ensure bi-partisanship in his administration. We’re gonna need all hands on deck to see Illinois through the next 4-8 years. So after the 2010 general, whichever side emerges with the Governor’s Office is gonna have to reach out to the losing party.
She’s not a conservative, ultra or otherwise. Conservatives don’t feel they are entitled to peek in other people’s bedroom windows. They mind their own business.
Dillard has been a major disappointment playing ball with this crowd. Edgar had the guts to tell the Baers and Roesers to pound sand. Dillard obviously does not.
I didn’t say McKenna’s funding dried up, I said he doesn’t have what he has been purporting to have if he needed an 800k loan from the wife to afford his half-mil buy.
He was talking about dropping 4-5M this month. Those numbers aren’t there.
I totally agree with wordslinger. I have had a lot of respect for dillard but am very concerned about this willingness to associate with the more hateful side of the party. He is right, Edgar never did that and I respected him for it. I am left thinking that Dillard doesn’t measure up. In politics, you often get defined by your friends. Dillard has certainly been around long enough to know that.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:53 pm:
How do we know that Andy McKenn’s “fund-raising” money isn’t his own money that he is just putting up? For the moment forget his wife’s money, which is really his money too (e.g., marital assets).
How do we know that he isn’t getting people to write checks and then re-imbursing them? Businesses? ok. maybe not. But individuals????
===They aren’t a party, and that wasn’t my headline. Take it up with Crain’s.===
And they, of the teafolk, chose their own name without any regard to its social connotations. Like any gaffe, political or otherwise, it was poorly considered, and the repercussions must be lived with until the end of time.
Also, I am having an incredibly painful time at deciding who to vote for at all for Gov. None of these people in either party seem up to the job, to be honest. It’s like 2006 again, but my collegiate idealism is long-dead, so no considering Rich Whitney this time.
Oops…Sorry, that wasn’t directed at you. It was meant for the complaint about the use of teabagger. I’m also having a painful time with copypasta, obviously.
If they didn’t want to be called “teabaggers” they really shouldn’t have started with the whole teabagging thing.
In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best gimmick.
On that note, it seems that many who take great offense to the term “teabaggers” liked to use the term “Democrat Party.” If you demand to be called by the name you prefer, you really shouldn’t call the other side a name they don’t prefer.
The “far right” thinks that Dillard is too “moderate”.
The “moderates” think Dillard is canoodling with the “right wing.”
Yet, Dillard continues to get support from ALL wings (moderate and conservative) of the Republican Party. It actually sounds like he is the ONLY candidate who might actually be able to bring both sides together in support of one candidate. This will be essential for a GOP to win in November.
If McKenna wanted to show that he was moving on to Quinn he shouldn’t have included Ryan and Dillard in the same Ad.
“Dillard’s downstate ad with the Jim Edgar is actually being received pretty well down in that neck of the woods.”
Based on? I agree we see Edgar Endorse people all the time and they rarely win.
I would say that McKenna may not be able to raise as much as his supposed potential if he has had to borrow $800000 from his wife. If McKenna is suppose to be able raise so much money but yet there are limited numbers of over $500 donations shown why there weren’t other $75000 and $50000 donation, All McKenna has is money if he is having trouble raising it then he has problems?
I do think fundraising is a sign of strength and it looks to me that there are some problems.
McKenna $909,500 ($800,000 from the Mrs)
Ryan $54,500 (2-$25000) Ryan really only has received $4500 in $500 plus donations
Brady $34,800
Proft $11,400 (1 Large Donation)
Dillard $1,750 plus $1,918.04 in kind services for meet and greet.
Andrzejewski $2,000
Proft ad: A- I like his sense of humor and he got straight to the point.
Plummer (LG candidate) offering to accept no pay or benefits until unemployment is back into single digits and the economy is back on the right track: A-
- 4 percent - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:28 am:
McKenna’s ad is actually fairly weak. Good thing they have lots of money for outside political consultants - I am sure that will enjoy their vacations on February 3rd.
Proft’s ad is decent but not enought air time.
Seeing alot of Dillard and Ryan ads running in the Springfield/Decatur/Champaign markets.
- 4 percent - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:29 am:
Dillard got a nice bump today with the Sun Times endorsement.
- Anon - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:34 am:
McKenna’s ad gets straight to the point, and separates himself from the other two B+.
The Sun Times bases their endorsement on the fact that Dillard is an insider. That will hurt him as much as help him. Probably hurt him more on the Republican side.
- Anon - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:42 am:
Dillard’s response to the Rios mess is weak, at best. He needed to fully distance himself from her, but instead scolded her with one hand and patted her on the back with the other.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:47 am:
McKenna is the son of multimillionaire North Shore businessman Andrew McKenna, Sr., the chairman of McDonald’s restaurants, and a board member of Aon Insurance and the Chicago Bears.
So, what’s your business Businessman Andy? Have you ever ran a business $9 Billion dollars in debt and save it by cutting back on it’s budget, or by making “smart choices”?
Even your father has never had to face that kind of situation, has he? You think he would recommend closing McDonalds locations around the world, or do you think he would raise the price of the pre-digested food stuffs leaking through those Happy Meal containers?
Have a nice long chat with your father as you spend his McMoney, will ya? Ask him what he would do if he was elected governor of this sinking ship of state. Then tell us in another TV ad buy. Have your dad face the camera with one of those dark haired wigs you like putting infants under and have him tell us that after his years of being a real businessman, he thinks we can fix this mess by making “smart choices”.
I bet he won’t do it. Because he realizes that anyone spending millions of their father’s hard-earned wages isn’t making any choices that could be considered smart.
The wrong McKenna is running.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:52 am:
That’s the ad for which McKenna is plunking down $500K?! Yikes. In the end, his campaign will look eerily similar to Blair Hull’s or Jim Oberweis’s or Ron Gidwitz’s: big ego businessmen who fall flat on their faces when they voters actually circle in with their pens or press a electronic pen to the screen. What a waste.
Jim Dodge’s ad was hilarious. Too bad it went sour with the “Bob Dole” approach. What hasn’t Jim Dodge done? I expected to hear that he rescued kittens from trees and found a way to trade Alfonso Soriano.
- Reformer - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:55 am:
Of the three ads, Proft’s is the most impressive, then Dodge’s, with Andy’s last.
I just don’t believe that Andy can solve our financial meltdown without a tax increase. It might serve him right if he did get elected, had to face fiscal reality and eat his words.
- zatoichi - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 10:58 am:
The McKenna family apparently has a significant amount of money for Mrs. McKenna to put in $800,000 for the campaign. That must mean they will won’t be needing any services from the state any time soon. That’s a relief. Cut spending and no new taxes. Great plan. Never, ever heard that basic concept before. Small question: How, who gets cut, and what happens to the people who get cut? Just curious because $9B in unpaid bills from Hynes’ latest newsletter seems a little large when revenue is dropping by $4B from last year.
- Joe from Joliet - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:00 am:
The parade of Dillard endorsements begins. By Feb 2 Dillard will have been edorsed by media in every corner of the state. As I previouly wrote, Dillard is really taking charge of this race.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:02 am:
Did anyone think the end of that Sun-Times editorial endorsement is oddly written? It makes it seem like they like the litany of conservative issues as the “good/bipartisan” ones. Sure, we know it’s the Sun-Times and weknowhattheymean, but it’s pretty sloppy.
- Jeff - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:03 am:
So McKenna has added almost $1 million in the last few days. Not bad. Rich, what is the date when the end-of-2009 reports need to be posted? I remember you saying that McKenna had already raised way more than anyone else.
Also interesting to see the Dillard endorsement. I’ve always thought he sounded reasonable and would be a good candidate. I’m voting in the “D” Primary, but wouldn’t mind voting for a good Republican if that’s what it takes in November.
- Ghost - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:04 am:
McKenna just needs top givs us the 9 billion in cuts he will make to fix the budget.
Since he knows 100% that no tax increase is needed and it can all be done with cuts, he must have it already mapped out, so he can just show it to us.
- just sayin' - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:18 am:
What’s going on with that ethics probe the Illinois Republican Party launched last month into allegations of unethical conduct by its former chairman Andy McKenna? Can we maybe find out before the primary when it might give voters some info they need?
And new Dan Proft ad: “The issue isn’t whether I took some liberties with the low income people of Cicero….I did.” [h/t Animal House]
- showmethemoney - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:19 am:
I am assuming the need for the Mrs to write an $800,000 check would mean his fundraising has dried up. Any indication of this amongst you insiders?
- Adam Smith - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:22 am:
Anon 10:42 is right. Dillard’s response to Rios’ outrageous mudslinging is very weak and shows how far he’ll go to court the extreme right and how he has sold his soul to Jack Roeser. It’s a pity. I’d expect better from Dillard.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:25 am:
=== I am assuming ===
You likely assume wrong.
- Chicago Cynic - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:41 am:
I agree with Team Sleep. Andy McKenna is 2010’s Blair Hull. I still say his ads are lame. Besides, other than to Republicans, it’s such a non sequitur to say, “we’re broke, so let’s cut taxes.” Huh? How’s that going to make you less broke?
I like Proft’s rip on conventional commercials. Blah blah blah. Funny stuff.
Dodge’s ad needs a professional editor and script writer. Bad.
- cermak_rd - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:42 am:
Jack Ryan’s private life involved a court action (divorce) with a court settlement. The courts are public entities. There is not a similar angle to the Mark Kirk story.
- Middle of the Road - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:44 am:
I haven’t seen a killer ad yet, although Dillard’s downstate ad with the Jim Edgar is actually being received pretty well down in that neck of the woods. However, I still don’t see the people paying much attention yet. They’re worried about getting their cars started and paying their heating bills. This could be a ridiculously low turnout on Feb. 2.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:44 am:
===Andy McKenna is 2010’s Blair Hull.===
That’s goofy.
First, Hull was ahead by something like ten points five weeks out. Second, Hull was destroyed by a personal scandal and that was one of the biggest reasons he lost. The only thing those two guys have in common is money.
- Whatever - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:46 am:
So, Dillard gets endorsed by the S-T because he plays nice with Democrats and likes Obama? Hardly a compelling message for a REPUBLICAN primary.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:47 am:
I really like the Dodge ad. I give it an A. I’m not comfortable with the idea of giving judy baar topinka the comtroller’s office simply because she was picked over for blago. one of my problems with her in 2006 was that in my view for all of her years in politics she had very little in terms of accomplishments to show for it.
i don’t like the “let’s reward hacks who’ve hung around for a long time with a public office for their loyalty to the party” mentality that goes on in illinois politics.
judy baar needs to get out and work for it and earn it just like the fellas have to.
Andy Mckenna didn’t fix the IL GOP which is still factionalized and fractured, perhaps even more so because of his poor leadership, so how can anyone honestly expect him to fix illinois’ budget problems? Has he ever stood on his own two feet and made anything work independent of his father and his father’s wealth? Does his dad have an extra $12billion just laying around to give to Andy to plug the budget hole? I give Andy’s ad a c.
- Chicago Cynic - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:48 am:
Rich,
What I meant is a guy who spent oodles of money with tons of consultants and on lame ads with not a lot to show for it. You’ll recall Blair Hull was ahead for about fifteen minutes before he imploded. In the end he paid about 10 grand a vote and that’s about what I expect from McKenna.
- Anon - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:52 am:
Hull imploded because of allegations of domestic abuse. He had built up a pretty good network and base heading into the election…then the bomb went off and all that was thrown out the window. Had that not happened, he was in a great position to win the Primary. As Rich said, there is absolutely zero comparison with McKenna, other than money. And that’s not exactly an exclusive similarity in politics. Money talks if you put it to good use.
- Big Policy Nerd - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 11:56 am:
If McKenna wanted to take a shot at Ryan, taxes is one way to do it. Stu Levine and Nicarico are others. But if this was big league pitching, we would see ads about Ryan outsourcing law work on the state’s tobacco settlement for $188 million. Selling management rights to the state pension plan in exchange for campaign contributions. Relationships with banks that were shut down by the IDFPR…Let’s cut to the chase. This is minor leagues.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:09 pm:
Andy McKenna needs to focus less on attacking Ryan and Dillard and more on getting his name out through the media. Dillard has been in the news all week on the early prison release stuff, and that’s good for him. getting his name out through the media not only helps to get his name out in general, since he doesn’t have much money, but it also gives him credibility.
If Mckenna were smart he would set his sights on Quinn exclusively because he’s far more likely to command media attention that way, and raise his credibility factor. I suspect the main reason why he still polled low, at 10 percent in the most recent polls, despite his hair ads was because many republican voters know who he is and don’t consider him very credible.
- John Bambenek - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:14 pm:
Mary McKenna LOANED the money to the campaign. Important detail. I view that as indicating his epic fundraising isn’t so epic if she needed to loan the money just in time for those ads.
Also, Dillard taking command of this race? According to everything but the polling data. He’s been flat for 6 months… Undecided, however, is going to win by Alan Keyes margins.
- Modified Voice - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:31 pm:
Is it just me or was McKenna’s voice altered for this commercial? Sounds like a different person speaking at the end of his blurb.
- Johny Lycho - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:40 pm:
Kirk Dillard will win the nomination. Just wait and see!
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:47 pm:
I love the ominous-sounding narrator in the McKenna spot. He’s made a living as a knockoff of the famous “In a world gone mad…” movie preview guy.
McKenna should pay it off by wearing bandeleros, a headband, while blasting duel AK-47s and yelling “Yippee ky-yay…”
Save me, Andy McKenna!
- Joe from Joliet - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:51 pm:
Bambanek says “Undecided, however, is going to win by Alan Keyes margins.”
That’s brilliant, John.
- Red Ranger - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 12:57 pm:
The only GOPer on Chicago network TV is McKenna. Are the other GOPers on cable? Waiting to get on network TV? Ryan or Dillard planning on Chicago network TV?
- Burrito Bandit - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:07 pm:
Ryan’s on network tv in Chicago. I saw it on WGN. I will be looking forward to Andy McKenna and Jim Ryan’s specific answers about the billons they will cut from the state budget and what programs they are coming from at the City-Club this monday morning. Looking forward to some real specific and detailed answers guys.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:15 pm:
I wonder if Dillard is really all that happy to have the Sun-Times endoresement considering the Quinn endorsement by that paper yesterday. From a technically political standpoint, yes you want an endorsement from one of the major newspapers, but the Sun-Times ediotrial board took a beating in the reader comments section of that editorial yesterday.
Many people left comments reminding the Sun-Times that it endorsed Blago in 2006.
- Brennan - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:17 pm:
I agree with WCW. This ad is misdirected. If McKenna is going to attack he should attack his opposition that has said they will raise taxes.
I saw McKenna’s add on WFLD this morning.
- steve schnorf - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:21 pm:
Brad Cole’s thoughts reflected in the debate seem head and shoulders above most of the other candidates.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:34 pm:
===took a beating in the reader comments section===
Newspaper reader comment sections are worthless and are a gauge of nothing.
- T.J. - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:48 pm:
“Dillard’s downstate ad with the Jim Edgar is actually being received pretty well down in that neck of the woods.”
Based on?
The Dodge ad would be better if it got Judy’s name right.
- train111 - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 1:55 pm:
Someone above noted that possibly McKenna’s funding dried up.
If one looks at the A-1 filings at the BOE (incomplete because it only covers donations of $500 or above within 30 days of the elecetion–so only a couple of days reported thus far) then one gets the following totals:
Andrzejewski $2,000
Brady $34,800
Dillard $1,750 plus $1,918.04 in kind services for meet and greet.
Proft $11,400
Ryan $54,500
McKenna $909,500 ($800,000 from the Mrs)
So no, his funding hasn’t dried up.
On the Dem side:
Hynes $8,000
Quinn $19,500 plus $33,193.78 in in-kind goodies from the SEIU
train111
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:01 pm:
Steve, Mayor Cole performed very well last night. He was poised, thoughtful and witty. He looked very polished.
- Sandy Rios - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:11 pm:
Hi, Rich!
While I confess to being an “ultra-conservative,” calling my article on Mark Kirk a “vicious screed” is quite a leap.
Can you please post the article on your site so that your readers can decide for themselves?
“Do we have a right to know if candidates are gay?
www.townhall.com by Sandy Rios
It may not be important to you, but it very important to many of us.
Sandy Rios AM1160
- 47th Ward - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:12 pm:
Glad to see Proft found a background and lighting that actually helps him. He needs to be dark, very dark, to look good on TV, and it works in this spot. Now if he could only get the lighting dimmed for the upcoming televised debates…
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:14 pm:
As I told you in my e-mail, I included a link to your column in yesterday’s post, and linked to that post today. Sufficient.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:31 pm:
===
…calling my article on Mark Kirk a “vicious screed” is quite a leap.
…so that your readers can decide for themselves?
===
I unfortunately read it, and agree with Rich’s assessment.
It is a vicious screed–to put it politely.
- Lee - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:34 pm:
” Tea-bagger Andrzejewski goes for ”
Hey, Rich. They are the tea party not teabaggers.
Please, don’t drink the kool-aid.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:46 pm:
I agree with the Lt Guv candidates who think the office should be eliminated. I had not planned to vote for a Lt Guv for that very reason, and still don’t plan to.
I found it curious they all think its the Lt. Gov’s function to attend military funerals. I’m not saying that shouldn’t if their hearts so desire, but this was a niche that Quinn created for himself, and it was a good one at that, yet they act like it was constitutional duty. It seemed to me to be really disingenuous on their parts.
If Quinn should lose, I hope the republican governor would consider extending an olive branch to Quinn and asking him to serve in some ceremonial capacity related to military/veterans affairs. Ideally Quinn should be allowed to continue leading things like Gold Star Mother etc. If the next governor is a republican this would send a strong signal that there will be efforts made to ensure bi-partisanship in his administration. We’re gonna need all hands on deck to see Illinois through the next 4-8 years. So after the 2010 general, whichever side emerges with the Governor’s Office is gonna have to reach out to the losing party.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:47 pm:
I read the column, too. Stay classy, Sandy.
She’s not a conservative, ultra or otherwise. Conservatives don’t feel they are entitled to peek in other people’s bedroom windows. They mind their own business.
Dillard has been a major disappointment playing ball with this crowd. Edgar had the guts to tell the Baers and Roesers to pound sand. Dillard obviously does not.
- John Bambenek - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:51 pm:
I didn’t say McKenna’s funding dried up, I said he doesn’t have what he has been purporting to have if he needed an 800k loan from the wife to afford his half-mil buy.
He was talking about dropping 4-5M this month. Those numbers aren’t there.
- wise guy - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:52 pm:
I totally agree with wordslinger. I have had a lot of respect for dillard but am very concerned about this willingness to associate with the more hateful side of the party. He is right, Edgar never did that and I respected him for it. I am left thinking that Dillard doesn’t measure up. In politics, you often get defined by your friends. Dillard has certainly been around long enough to know that.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:53 pm:
How do we know that Andy McKenn’s “fund-raising” money isn’t his own money that he is just putting up? For the moment forget his wife’s money, which is really his money too (e.g., marital assets).
How do we know that he isn’t getting people to write checks and then re-imbursing them? Businesses? ok. maybe not. But individuals????
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:55 pm:
===They are the tea party not teabaggers.===
They aren’t a party, and that wasn’t my headline. Take it up with Crain’s.
- Ghost - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 2:58 pm:
Dillard and Kirk pandering to the far right has persuaded me not to support them.
- Served - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 3:02 pm:
===They aren’t a party, and that wasn’t my headline. Take it up with Crain’s.===
And they, of the teafolk, chose their own name without any regard to its social connotations. Like any gaffe, political or otherwise, it was poorly considered, and the repercussions must be lived with until the end of time.
Also, I am having an incredibly painful time at deciding who to vote for at all for Gov. None of these people in either party seem up to the job, to be honest. It’s like 2006 again, but my collegiate idealism is long-dead, so no considering Rich Whitney this time.
- Served - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 3:04 pm:
Oops…Sorry, that wasn’t directed at you. It was meant for the complaint about the use of teabagger. I’m also having a painful time with copypasta, obviously.
- OdysseusVL - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 3:06 pm:
If they didn’t want to be called “teabaggers” they really shouldn’t have started with the whole teabagging thing.
In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best gimmick.
On that note, it seems that many who take great offense to the term “teabaggers” liked to use the term “Democrat Party.” If you demand to be called by the name you prefer, you really shouldn’t call the other side a name they don’t prefer.
- Big Policy Nerd - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 3:26 pm:
@ Lee
- Tea-bagger Andrzejewski goes for ”
Hey, Rich. They are the tea party not teabaggers.-
Andrezejewski has got no problem calling himself a “teabagger.” He twittered about it yesterday. Check it out for yourself.
http://twitter.com/AdamForIllinois
- 4 percent - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 3:50 pm:
The debate is kind of funny.
The “far right” thinks that Dillard is too “moderate”.
The “moderates” think Dillard is canoodling with the “right wing.”
Yet, Dillard continues to get support from ALL wings (moderate and conservative) of the Republican Party. It actually sounds like he is the ONLY candidate who might actually be able to bring both sides together in support of one candidate. This will be essential for a GOP to win in November.
- Alex Carbo - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 4:18 pm:
Wonder when Dillard is going to break it to the world that Jack Roeser is supporting him. Late money dump?
- Dnstateanon - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 4:57 pm:
If McKenna wanted to show that he was moving on to Quinn he shouldn’t have included Ryan and Dillard in the same Ad.
“Dillard’s downstate ad with the Jim Edgar is actually being received pretty well down in that neck of the woods.”
Based on? I agree we see Edgar Endorse people all the time and they rarely win.
I would say that McKenna may not be able to raise as much as his supposed potential if he has had to borrow $800000 from his wife. If McKenna is suppose to be able raise so much money but yet there are limited numbers of over $500 donations shown why there weren’t other $75000 and $50000 donation, All McKenna has is money if he is having trouble raising it then he has problems?
I do think fundraising is a sign of strength and it looks to me that there are some problems.
McKenna $909,500 ($800,000 from the Mrs)
Ryan $54,500 (2-$25000) Ryan really only has received $4500 in $500 plus donations
Brady $34,800
Proft $11,400 (1 Large Donation)
Dillard $1,750 plus $1,918.04 in kind services for meet and greet.
Andrzejewski $2,000
- Anon - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 5:07 pm:
==The parade of Dillard endorsements begins. By Feb 2 Dillard will have been edorsed by media in every corner of the state. ==
Well, you can scratch the Chicago Tribune corner of the State… Because they just endorsed McKenna.
- Steve-O - Friday, Jan 8, 10 @ 6:15 pm:
McKenna ad: C- He’s just un-inspiring.
Proft ad: A- I like his sense of humor and he got straight to the point.
Plummer (LG candidate) offering to accept no pay or benefits until unemployment is back into single digits and the economy is back on the right track: A-
- Perplexed - Friday, Jan 22, 10 @ 11:03 pm:
Check this out:
Why would Sandy Rios endorse Kirk Dillard?
http://www.resistnet.com/group/illinoispatriots/forum/topics/why-would-sandy-rios-endorse-1