51 Comments - Quinn T. Sential - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 4:42 am: The checks and balances of the three branches of a balanced government should be sufficient to apply the brakes to any given policy situation that attempts to steer the ship off too course. The problem comes in when the three branches themselves appear to be out of balance, in which case the electorate itself must step in and restore balance using the only check and balance system available to them; THROW THE BUMS OUT. - Downstater - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 7:40 am: Brady gets it. Having attended three different tea party events (including the 9-12 event in St. Louis) I can tell you that voters aren’t talking about social issues. It’s the spending - stupid!! I think it was Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana who said, “Let’s just put a freeze on changing abortion, gun laws, etc. Focus instead on the issue of fiscal responsibility.” That’s what the Tea Party groups want. That’s why they are capturing support. People are willing to put the social issues on the back burner, if we can just get a more responsible government. Of course, this is terrible news for Quinn. He needed a debate on social issues to try to fire up his base. A debate on limiting the size of government will also fire up Quinn’s base…..but not to Quinn’s benefit. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 7:41 am: So he doesn’t have a social agenda or any real ideas on how to address the deficit. Why’s he running? - Richard Afflis - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 7:43 am: Brady’s pledge not to be an activist on social issues is credible and conservatives should not be turned off. He makes no bones about being pro-life and states he understands there is not much a governor can do about Roe v. Wade. Likewise, he sees the writing on the wall about civil unions. The big issue is the economy and the debt. If he can improve that situation (any improvement at this point would be welcome), he will be considered a success and how he stands on social issues will be less important to the left. You can have personal opinions to the left or right and govern from the center. - Bill - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 7:58 am: I also believe that Brady will pull an Edgar and support or at least sign a tax increase if he is elected. What choice will he have? Everyone knows his “cut taxes to increase jobs, forensic audit, 10% across the board cuts,etc.platform is bullbleep. As far as his social agenda, cares? Even single issue special interest groups will have to admit this election is all about the budget and the state’s ever increasing debt. - 50 - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:10 am: Off topic, but…Happy 50th Birthday (10-10-10) to Senator Ira Silverstein!! - bored now - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:12 am: it’s so cute how republicans pretend that bill brady will have any influence on spending. anyone who thinks that he will be more effective than rod blagojevich is delusional. brady will quickly forget about the budget, and head over to social engineering (what he really cares about) and leave the important decisions to madigan. hey, as long as brady gets his cut, what does he care? i bet the feds open up the investigation into brady’s use of the government for his own personal, private gain the moment he takes office. only in illinois can someone vote for their own personal, private gain in the legislature and it’s obvious conflict of interest and not be referred to an ethics committee… - Nieva - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:15 am: I can live with a tax increase if they will just address the sorry state of finances in this state. We must start paying bills on time and stop throwing money at education. The pension debt has to be a priority. No new spending on anything at this time. Pay on this crushing pile of bills before a total collapse happens! - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:17 am: The overwhelming political issue moving forward isn’t whether Little Susie is able to have an abortion, but rather whether she can find a job and move out of her parents’ home. The long term economic outlook is dim and will become dimmer as the GOP demand the return to Hooverism’s austere fiscal policies. Brady won’t have the political capital to waste passing a right wing social agenda. - Downstater - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:29 am: Louis Howe, Hate to burst your bubble, but Hoover didn’t implement austere fiscal policies to right the economy. Many of his ideas were, in fact, to expand the role of government. For a lesson the impact of fiscal restraint in the time of economic recessions (and even depressions) read a little about “The Forgotten Depression” and the quick recovery that occurred due to President Harding’s austerity measure. You won’t read much about Harding’s efforts because it doesn’t fit the Democrat’s narative for expanding the role of government. - OneMan - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:30 am: If he has a chance to get to social issues after dealing with the states financial issues I would be shocked. - Siriusly - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:39 am: Not good enough for me and I have a great example to back up my reasoning. I thought Brady might be charismatic enough to win the GOP primary and actually beat Blago in ‘06. I nearly crossed over and supported him. One time over a beer I chatted with the good Senator and shared my thoughts on the race and Blago’s vulnerabilities with him. Told him how a charismatic fiscal conservative could easily get me, as a Dem, vote for him, to get rid of Blago, etc. Ten days later he was in the papers in the ‘06 primary talking about the bible and creationism being taught in the public schools. He lost me for good that day. Maybe he’s since learned that he has to talk differently during the campaign season - but I don’t think so. He was just talking about creationism with the Sun Times last week. So when he says he won’t govern by his own conservative feelings, that he will defer to the GA on social issues, no I don’t believe him. Also, FWIW one of his Senate colleagues, told me recently that they have NO idea what Bill Brady stands for. - CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:43 am: Guess the Daily Herald folks were drunk during the interview….if anyone does not think let folks roam the landscape with loaded hidden guns is not a social issue I will eat my bazooka Same goes for cuttting the minimum wage Wage DHers - Reformer - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:45 am: I guess Brady won’t be pushing for concealed carry then, to the great disappointment of our NRA friends. - (618) Democrat - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:45 am: The Daily Herald Editorial board says “Brady’s personal views veer to the right of our tastes and the well-being of the state” If you endorse Brady you are endorsing, agreeing with and supporting his right wing views. Some of Brady’s radical views are preventing a rape victim who becomes pregnant during a rape from having an abortion and if she does have an abortion she would be a criminal, having our teachers give back their pay raises and forgo future pay hikes, mass killing of unwanted pets in gas chambers and lowering the minimum wage just to mention a few. The Daily Herald has become the Tea Party Daily Herald. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:49 am: –You won’t read much about Harding’s efforts because it doesn’t fit the Democrat’s narative for expanding the role of government.– Not even 9 a.m., and already a Grand Liberal/Dem/Commie/Nazi Conspiracy posting. It’s the early cuckoo bird that gets the worm. Can’t you read about it in all those #1 best-sellers by Beck, Hannity, Coulter, ad nauseating? I never figured anyone read them, anyway. Expensive doorstops. - N'ville - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:50 am: Siriusly, In the past 2 weeks or so, the media have been asking Brady “social issue” questions. The Sun Times editorial board brought up the creationism question. He answered it. The Daily Herald editorial board asked about abortion. He answered it. We’re so used to Governor Quinn, when asked a question, filibustering and talking about whatever it is that happens to drop into his stream of consciousness, that we’re SHOCKED when someone running for office actually answers the question that they’re asked. What would you prefer that Brady do when asked these questions? Pull a “Quinn” and just gaze into the universe and start talking about whatever happens to come to him? - Jack S. - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:51 am: ==Brady’s radical views are preventing a rape victim who becomes pregnant during a rape from having an abortion and if she does have an abortion she would be a criminal== Add to that the fact that he has said he wants to remove the capital punishment moratorium, which can and has put to death innocent people. How long before he would decide that abortion “criminals” should be on death row… Pro-life indeed. - Cool Hand Luke - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:54 am: Brady is sincere about his having no intention of trying to “upset the apple cart” with current Illinois social agendas. He has one focus and that is to “try and fix” the fiscal and economic mess that Illinois has managed to get itself into. Unfortunately, I am not so sure that Brady has the ability to plug all of the leaks in the HMS Illinois but I am going to give him my support to at least try to save the ship. Captain Quinn has a good heart but he is too entwined and focused on his political career to be willing to go against his own political party leadership(Madigan). Brady is the type of guy who will do what he knows to be right even though it results in the end of his political career. Brady is more than willing to be a one-term governor as long as he leaves the state better off when he leaves political office. That is what sets Bill Brady apart from Pat Quinn. Both are good guys but only one of them is willing to make the ultimate political sacrifice to achieve the necessary goal for Illinois. - Downstater - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:55 am: Wordslinger, Nice try, but I haven’t read any of those authors. Rather than resorting to attacking me, what about a discussion of “The Forgotten Depression”? - Aldyth - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:57 am: Msybe Brady has figured out that his legislature would be run by the Democrats and his social issues agenda would be publicly and embarrassingly smacked down. - bored now - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 8:59 am: Siriusly: we do have an idea what bill brady stands for. he stands for putting (our) money in to his pocket. his votes in the legislature prove that. that sad this is, voters in illinois will tolerate his corruption and funders here prefer it. they know “his price.” we like corruption here. thank god for the feds (although i can’t say i’m thrilled at the prospect of the third elected governor in a row ending up in a federal pen)… - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:08 am: Downstater, how about explaining how “Democrats” are preventing people from reading anything they want? - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:10 am: Downstater….Ever here of Andrew Mellon…??? As Andrew Mellon (1855-1937), Hoover’s Treasury Secretary famously advised: “Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate…It will purge the rotteness out of the system…People will work harder, live a more moral life. Values will be adjusted, and enterprising people will pick up the wrecks from the less competent people.”(Hoover 1952) That’s the neo-classical economic policies America is embracing again. Of course, by March 1933 when FDR began his New Deal began, Nominal GDP had fallen by 45.6%, and employment had fallen from 46.6 Million in 1929 to 38.6 million in 1932 with 11.5 million unemployed. By 1936, with unemployment at 5.3 million, less than half of the number left by the Hoover/Mellon administration in 1932, and 47.8 million Americans working —-that’s 1.4 million more working Americans than were employed in 1929—FDR wins the greatest election victory in presidential history.(’Historical Statistics of the United States’ 2006Vol.2, p.2-82-83) - fedup dem - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:11 am: The Daily Herald editorial board showed that it is made up of a pack of fools for believing that pack of lies from Brady. Brady will push his right-wing agenda as surely as the sun rises in the east. Mark my words carefully… if Heaven Forbid, Brady is elected, this state will see political warfare that will make the Chicago Council Wars of the 1980s seem like an egg-tossing contest at a church picnic by comparision. If voters want class warfare and a bankrupt state government, just elect Brady. - Todd - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:12 am: I don’t think the NRA guys are worried about Brady. When ever the bulk of their issues get tot he floor they win. The only thing keeping RTC from passing is supermajority rulings in the House. With Daley leaving and two supreme court decisions, I think things will be different next session. And If there is a Governor Brady, good things that land on his desk will get signed. The Daley agenda is dead. - lakeview - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:14 am: Heh. I wonder when the social conservatives are going to figure out the game that politicians play: talk a real good game about abortion, and then not do a thing about it. Pro-life voters came out for Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II; they howled about Clinton and Obama, but did anything change? Nope. Brady will follow this tradition, unless he a) wins now and b) has a tough primary challenge in four years. Then it will be all about who Jesus would have hated if he hadn’t have been so busy preaching about love. - Sue - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:18 am: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist( in Brady’s case that is a good thing) to recognize that it will take both massive spending cuts and a tax increase to restore Illinois to fiscal sanity. What Governor Brady should start with is to change the cola increase to state pensions so that recipients receive the higher of three percent or the actual change to the cost of living- with inflation at record lows, why keep throwing money to the pension participants by giving them those automatic increases. He may get a lawsuit but so what- the change would immediately reduce the actuarial unfunded number down by billions of dollars and save the state a chuck of change - Been There - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:22 am: My, my, the social issues scare is to some what the “Red Scare” of the fifties was to others. Rich, I love ya, but I think you are stoking this fear, for example, with your conjured up statement last week about Brady being OK with not teaching evolution in schools. As has been pointed out already, Brady is not the one raising the social issues. He is who he is. The media seems to be bringing social issues up and hoping for a Brady misstep, but Brady doesn’t seem to be biting. A few weeks ago this race seemed to be a blowout. It may still be, but could be tightening. Whether or not is actually is closing, the media is praying so. All the more website hits and papers sold, you know. To the chagrin of the sitting governor, this raace will not turn on social issues, unless you include early prison release in that category. Otherwise, to quote James Carville, it’s the economy, stupid. - The Truth - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:24 am: Lies Lies Lies. As Brady sees his poll numbers drop as Illinois finds out just who Bill Brady really is. Doesn’t pay taxes, kill all animals, pro-life, anti-women, anti-union, cheats on his wife. Say what you want Bill, the only thing you have going for you is that your daughter is hot. - Small Town Liberal - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:34 am: - As has been pointed out already, Brady is not the one raising the social issues. - Right, only since his campaign manager tightened the leash on him. He proposed an amendment banning any form of gay marriage a little while back, you mean to tell me he’s a changed man now? Bull, he’s lying, just like he’s lying about fixing the state’s financial problems without a tax increase. - John Bambenek - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:51 am: While Brady is up 9, I find it telling that 20%ish in both Senate and Gov are still undecided or want someone else. (and they polled all the names on the ballot). That 20% would be hard to swing the race to Quinn, but Kirk-Alexi it matters alot if the election were held today. I think all four campaigns have fired all their ammo, save an October surprise I’m not sure much more change can happen. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:55 am: Brady’s base is secure. Now he will defuse the Fear Inducing Quinn campaign attacks. Bill has two weeks to do this. Quinn has nothing to brag about. All he has is Evil Brady ads to run. So this is how Brady is going to defuse these ads. The moaning and charges leveled at Brady by Quinn supporters above is their recognition of their cynical Brady ads, and their realization that their ugly ads won’t scare voters into voting for Quinn. Go ahead and wail. This is how Brady is going to calm the fears you are raising. It looks like Quinn is going to lose. The Governor has nothing to brag on. He has nothing on TV but crap ads warning us of how much worse off we would be with Brady. That gives voters nothing to vote for. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 9:58 am: So answer me this please: will either Quinn or Brady or both be a worse governor than Blagojevich? - just sayin' - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 10:08 am: Anyone who doesn’t know by now that Brady’s only priority will be enriching himself, his family, and friends, truly deserves the government we’ve got in this state. Brady’s never fought for any causes during two decades in Springfield (unless you count mass gassing of puppies and kittens). There’s no reason to expect him to start now. And no, conservatives won’t say a peep. Brady and Kirk know conservatives are mostly a bunch of patsies in this state. Put an R by your name and you’re good to go. It’s a big joke. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 10:11 am: JB, how about this for an October surprise, from Brady’s website: “Bill Brady helped expose the scandal that led to the indictment and impeachment of Rod Blagojevich and others.” It is October and it certainly is a surprising statement. Why he doesn’t have TV spots out on this is beyond me. Modest, I guess. Maybe he was working with Trips Jackson, who claimed a while back he was working undercover for the federales on the Blago case. Their mysterious, secret agent handler? Has to be Mark Kirk, International Man of Mystery. - Aaron - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 10:18 am: The DH says third party candidates aren’t an option. They are, but only if and when Big Media realizes they actually have solutions the False Dichotomy doesn’t. - D.P. Gumby - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 10:19 am: Brady has no social policy ambition beyond the Sudetenland. The impact he can have through executive branch w/o trying to pass legislation is scary enough. Even his budget choices–elimination of funding for family planning, domestic violence etc.–is all part and parcel of a “social agenda” that his philosophy demonstrates that he doesn’t even see as an “agenda”. Especially if he succumbs to a tax increase. - Cuban Pilot - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 10:23 am: Nope, social conservatives will not care. They realize that this is the best (i.e, most socially conservative governor) they will ever and I mean ever get. So, they are giddy. Plus, what are they going to do, sit this out and let quinn get elected and then allow quinn promote a liberal social agenda like the gay marriage issue. So, to the social conservatives, having a socially conservative governor is not about promoting an agenda in Illinois, rather it is about preventing or stopping a liberal governor promoting a socially liberal agenda. - just sayin' - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 10:53 am: “They realize that this is the best (i.e, most socially conservative governor) they will ever and I mean ever get.” I disagree. Sounds like Brady is making it pretty clear he’ll rubberstamp pretty much any liberal social agenda bill the legislature sends him. You’re really not going to get Brady’s attention unless it’s a bill offering a more efficient Final Solution for strays, or a bill that will aid Brady’s floundering real estate biz. - dupage dan - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 11:05 am: And, they’re comin’ round the stretch. Gassing Puppies by a nose, Hapless Gadfly threatening and Wife Beater is about to be glued. The photo finish ain’t gonna be pretty folks. There are no real winners at the MJM racetrack. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 11:07 am: I guess the logical follow-up question for Brady is, what’s your definition of “significant?” But just saying at 10:08 nailed it. Brady’s been in Springfield for 17 years and hasn’t really championed any issue or cause. He’s been a go-along, get-along kind of legislator. No reason to think he’d be any different as Governor. But I’d expect his appointments to agencies, boards and commissions to show his deference to the social conservatives in Illinois. That’s enough for me to vote against him. - Cuban Pilot - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 11:07 am: Just sayin’ is mighty cynical this morning…i like it. I must disagree with just sayin’, in that, Brady will not rubberstamp any liberal social item…instead, i interpret Brady’s statements as follows: Public, please don’t fear me. I am not going to change or pursue any rollback to a law already in place except for paretal notification. Thus, when I say that civil unions will pass during the lame duck session, I am saying that I will not push legislation aimed to roll-back these social issues like civil unions that are already under the law. - Objective Dem - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 11:07 am: I think it is naive to think social conservatism will come back to Illinois with the grand legislative initiative or bold vetos. It will come with numerous small acts in different venues. First, while there are separate branches of government there is quite an overlap between legislature and the Executive branch. Brady says he will respect the outcome of the votes, but I bet he will lobby to change the outcome of the vote. And the Governor has a lot of power to entice people to vote the way they want. Second, all decisions won’t go through Brady. Thousands policy decisions will be made by political appointees spread throughout the state. Due to his base of support, many of these appointees will be far-right social conservatives. Will Board of Ed support abstinence education over teaching birth control? Will the Board of Ed support teaching creationism in the classroom? Will the department regulating insurance make it harder to get reimbursed for abortion or make the new health care reform less friendly to gays/lesbians? There is also power in budgeting. Will an anti-AIDS initiative targeting high risk behaviors get funding or will they view AIDS as the natural consequence? Will they cut programs that support public education while they increase funding to support home schooling and religious schools? Another issue is the Governor has the ability to appoint numerous people to Boards and positions of authority. Who do you think he would pick if it was necessary to name a US Senator? Who will be his reps on the Board of Ed? The Governor of Illinois is a very powerful position and whether he says so or not, Brady will make Illinois more socially conservative. And to build on Rich’s recent columns about the media not paying attention, why don’t they do an article discussing the powers of the Governor and anticipated differences between the candidates? - just sayin' - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 11:11 am: CP, well if the Dems were smart, and assuming Brady wins, they should wait and not pass anything during the lame duck. Wait and send it all to Gov. Brady (oooooo, I just got a cold chill just typing that title). - MrJM - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 11:22 am: “One wonders whether the social conservatives will sit still for this, or if they’ll just keep their powder dry knowing they’ll have an ally if Brady is elected. Thoughts?” Social conservatives recognize that they’ll get their best results from the Brady campaign if none of them stands up and shouts, “Hey, everybody! Our wooden horse is full of Greek soldiers!” – MrJM - Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 11:49 am: My head is going to explode. - vole - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 12:02 pm: With the potential cuts to programs we do care about many of us may wish Brady were more involved in social issues. I am concerned with what Brady is going to do in the areas of environmental regulation (already poor enforcement in IL), natural resources, the IL State Museum, etc. Social issues also cut across a lot of our values that are expressed in many other areas besides abortion, guns, creationism, etc. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 1:02 pm: –Brady has no social policy ambition beyond the Sudetenland.– Gumby, you lose your credibility when you go there, no matter how obscurely. Leave it to the Tea Partiers. –allow quinn promote a liberal social agenda like the gay marriage issue.– Cuban, when and where has Quinn “promoted” gay marriage? Truthiness has to enter into it at some point, doesn’t it? I mean, Brady actually did have a bill for gassing puppies. - bored now - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 1:08 pm: i complete agree that brady’s base is secure. i’m not so sure anymore that they won’t be expecting anything, though, if hr gets elected governor. while i don’t *know* if the tea baggers have social conservatives among them, they (the tea baggers) seem determined to have their way with things… - Amalia - Tuesday, Oct 12, 10 @ 5:38 pm: of course Brady’s base is secure. this statement is “pay no attention to the extreme right wing conservative behind the curtain.” if you believe in reproductive freedom, be afraid, be very afraid Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.