* Campaign quote of the day goes to Scott Lee Cohen’s running mate Baxter Swilly…

Q: You’ve got until June 21st to collect 25,000 signatures. How many have you collected so far?

A: We’re close.

No follow-up? That’s odd. Maybe Baxter could’ve addressed yet another story about how the campaign appears to be paying winos and junkies to pass petition sheets…

Just when Scott Lee Cohen’s push to get on the 2010 gubernatorial ballot seemed that it couldn’t get any weirder, it did.

The latest twist includes a curbside argument over money, an allegation that a woman paid someone to lie to a reporter, and an admission by that woman she gave an inebriated man money for signatures he had collected earlier.

Go read the whole thing. My favorite part…

Robert Garrett, 44, of Calumet City told me that not only was he only paid for 17 of the 75 signatures he collected – the rest were deemed illegible or invalid – but that Stephanie had just paid him to lie to me.

“While you were sitting up there talking to that man there, she paid me 20 more dollars,” said Garrett, who appeared to have alcohol on his breath. “Twenty dollars to talk to you to tell you they’re doing good, but they not.”

Yep. They’re close alright. They’ll have that wrapped up any day now. And NBC5’s blogger deserves all the credit for that bit of breaking news.

* Best ding of the day…

At a news conference after an appearance at a Chicago elementary school, the governor would not talk specifics about how he will address a state budget approved by lawmakers that left open a $13 billion shortfall.

“We are going to have to make cuts across the board,” Quinn said, before going on to say he hopes to avoid deep cuts to human services, health care, public safety and especially education, which make up the bulk of the state’s budget. […]

When asked where he would cut, Quinn talked about legislative salaries and government travel expenses — reductions that would amount to a tiny fraction of the massive budget gap.

Quinn has often criticized his Republican opponent, Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, for being vague about how he would balance the budget and for suggesting that across-the-board cuts would be necessary.

Good one.

* The runner-up award is for a piece on a new pro-Quinn website which attacks Bill Brady…

“There is a lot at stake in this election. The site will be a one-stop shop for voters to find out the truth about Bill Brady,” Quinn spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said in a statement.

But Brady fired back, saying what’s portrayed on the site can be misleading.

For example, the site takes Brady to task for opposing a specific campaign finance reform proposal, one that Quinn eventually himself vetoed.

“You can’t criticize your opponent when you vetoed the bill,” said Brady spokeswoman Patty Schuh.

Oops.

*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s campaign spokesperson…

I just wanted to be clear on Senator Brady’s comments that there was anything misleading on the site.

The Governor vetoed the campaign finance bill because it didn’t go far enough for ethics reforms (HB 7) - and then Senator Brady voted ‘no” on the updated iteration of the bill that the Governor eventually signed into law (SB 1466). So, that clears up that one, now what about the hundreds of other votes on the site…

I think the people of Illinois would be disturbed to hear Senator Brady call his positions on jobs, economy, public safety, education, women and families and ethics as a “distraction from the real issues.”

[ *** End of Update *** ]

* As subscribers know, the governor has his work cut out for him…

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn [yesterday] predicted lawmakers will return to the Capitol by the end of June to vote on borrowing about $4 billion to make next year’s state worker pension payment, the final piece of a patchwork budget aimed at keeping state government operating until after the November election.

The Senate Dems aren’t so sure that Quinn can do it…

Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said [yesterday] that it remains to be seen when the Senate will come back to Springfield.

“We need to see evidence that the governor is effectively making the case for pension borrowing - specific evidence being at least two Senate Republican votes,” Phelon said.

That would mean three recalcitrant Democrats. I think there’s really only two. But we’ll see.

The governor also couldn’t resist jabbing the GA…

“The bottom line is the legislators this year and last year I think disappointed me and I think disappointed the people of Illinois by their reluctance to squarely address the fiscal calamity that we’re in,” Quinn said. “This goes for both parties, both houses. I think they should have done a lot better. But having said that, we have to go forward and carry on for the people of Illinois.”

He could’ve done a lot better, too, but we probably won’t hear an admission of that. It would just be too far out of character.

* And the Peoria paper whacks Quinn for not staying more often at the governor’s mansion…

Alas, the only chief executive to truly call the beautiful residence home in the last quarter-century has been Gov. Jim Edgar.

Yeah, it was so “beautiful” that Mrs. Edgar demanded they move the heck outta there. Alas, nobody seems to remember that bit of history.

* Related…

* State budget crisis may impede groundbreaking preschool reform

* Illinois Applies for ‘’Race to the Top'’ Money Again

* Ex-lawmaker waives tuition for supporter’s family

* State documents damaged by heavy rains

* Quinn signs measure to delay foreclosures on military members

* Rutherford plans aggressive Chicago area campaign: During a stop Tuesday in Decatur, State Sen. Dan Rutherford said he plans to campaign aggressively in the Chicago area in his bid to be the state’s next treasurer.