66 Comments - Excessively Rabid - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 11:48 am: He should NOT run for governor again. He couldn’t beat Quinn, who was basically unelectable - he’s done there. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 11:49 am: Retire and lobby for the insurance industry. Bloomington-Normal will become a Democratic House seat, and his days are numbered. - The Oncoming Storm - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 11:57 am: Let’s kill the rumors and just make it clear Brady should not run for governor again. Maybe he can do a Rutherford or a Topinka and run for a down-ballot spot in 4 years after missing out statewide previously, but definitely, do not run again for governor. - blogman - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 11:58 am: He had his opportunity to be elected Governor and he blew it! If he can’t get elected this year, he will not get elected statewide. - VoterUSA - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:02 pm: Brady needs to start a homeless shelter for dogs…hope that’s not to snarky. - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:02 pm: With remapping and grown children, Bill Brady would make for a good Congressional candidate. I’ve heard enough whispers of a possible Tim Johnson retirement. Brady fits that district and part of the state quite well. - lincoln's beard - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:04 pm: He could work on bringing his construction business back into profitability. - ChicagoR - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:08 pm: I’m with VoterUSA. Retire and atone by trying to help animals. - Bigtwich - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:11 pm: ==He could work on bringing his construction business back into profitability. == So he can pay federal income tax. - Peter - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:12 pm: Stay in the Senate, concentrate on the business and snark away at Democratic failures. Also, start a second business selling “Don’t blame me, I voted for Brady (but should have voted for Dillard)” bumper stickers. - WRMNpolitics - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:13 pm: Finish out the last 2 years as State Senator and then graciously bow out of politics. Republicans need to encourage and mentor a new generation of candidates and not continually run retreads, especially in state legislative and constitutional races. - siriusly - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:13 pm: He should not run for Governor again, but he could probably win a central Illinois congressional seat. Maybe if the Dems map two downstaters together - he could jump in and knock them both out. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:15 pm: Brady should hang out … regroup … 2 years is a long time. What should Bill “do”? Brady needs to get on with things, and get over the campaign loss, but it doesn’t make Brady, or his thoughts, losing in themselves. Lessons are to be learned, and not taught by Jim Edgar. Keep your network rolling (ex. Rutherford?), you never know(?). I will tell you this, Bill Brady, look around you now, these are the people who were with you all the way, not just the ones who were in your Transition Meetings, or measuring drapes with you, or looking for exuses when they don’t want to take any blame, but wanted all the credit. Take solace in the good people who were doing the hard work, and not the ones who are making exuses for letting you down, or not serving your interest during real time campaigning. Every time you hear about someone making an exuse, think of all the others who did buy in and would wear the jacket and not blame you and your beliefs as the only reason you lost. Take a breath, Bill. In two years, it will unfold, so chill in the senate. - shore - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:16 pm: get his alice on and clean out his desk and retire. (70’s tv show reference). - TD - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:16 pm: A Congressional seat would be a good fit. Brady won all of central Illinois by such dominant margins that he’d be a strong Congressional candidate regardless of the redistricted boundaries. - Aaron - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:17 pm: What should Brady do…. 1. He can be a backbench GOP senator like he was before. 2. Become an active fighter of the Quinn/Democratic agenda. 3. Retire from politics. He should have beaten Pat Quinn, and in other years besides this one I think that a Democratic candidate (even one like Quinn) would’ve beaten Brady by a solid, but not decisive, 6-8 points. I think this is a lesson for the Illinois GOP that even with fiscal issues hanging over everything, you have to run more of a social moderate in order capture more out of Cook and the collars since the fiscal conservative message pretty much plays well downstate. - ChicagoR - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:25 pm: If he does want to run for statewide office again someday, he could moderate his stances on social issues. A good place he could start is by supporting Quinn’s call for civil unions. But I won’t hold my breath. - JakeCP - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:30 pm: I agree with Teamsleep and others who say he should run for congress. Aaron is also right, the Illinois GOP needs to showcase more social moderate candidates. However their to stubborn to do that, that’s why they didn’t come out and vote for Topinka in ‘06. - Vote Quimby! - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:38 pm: Be a back-bencher and work on his business for two years, then get out of the way for someone younger. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:45 pm: == Brady should hang out … regroup … 2 years is a long time. == Petition filing is in 12 months. - Cuban Pilot - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:51 pm: 1. Over Christmas, take a good, long vacation to Hawaii to recharge a little (I can’t imagine the depression he must be going through - this is a loss that he will take to his grave). 2. For the first part of 2011. Say little. 3. Third, around remap time, look to see if he finds himself in a nice little congressional district, or, if the remap don’t work for him, he should start getting ready to run for a downticket race like maybe S.O.S. in 2014. He would have so much name recognition. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 12:52 pm: YDD - My bad, being TOO literal in elections and just going by election day … so, take the year off …lol - Cincinnatus - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:05 pm: Retire and assume leadership of the ILGOP. Use your lessons learned to improve party discipline, fundraising and grassroots efforts and ready the party for the 2012 elections. Straighten out the ILGOP, then either retire or assume a post in the RNC, if successful. - Mighty M. Mouse - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:10 pm: He definitely should run for governor again in 2014. An unabashed reactionary is JUST what Illinois needs. - Living in Oklahoma - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:13 pm: Brady needs to stay in the Senate. He proved that a real conservative cannot win statewide. - Obamarama - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:19 pm: Continue to ride the pine in the Senate. Like the guy or not, he isn’t a leader. Keep collecting a check from his business, spend more time with the family, mentor future candidates to the extent that it is useful. - Joe from Joliet - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:27 pm: Cincy, the last place we want to see Brady is a leadership role with ILGOP. A hard rightie in a visible position would not be good. We want a moderate or a moderate. Plus, I don’t think he wants to be three-time loser. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:31 pm: He should try doing some “senator stuff” like learning about the budget. One of the least commented things about Brady was that he gave the impression that despite 17 years, he really had no idea what was going on in Springfield. Lay low and do the hard work of becoming a policy wonk. Forget four years from now. Think 8. Become an expert. People are going to know you are a career politician, so you may as well act like you are a smart and hard-working one. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:45 pm: Get those details he’s been waiting on so he can put together a balanced budget in one year that doesn’t raise taxes like he promised during the campaign. Just because he didn’t win doesn’t mean he should deprive the state of his epic solution. - Aldyth - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:52 pm: There are things that Brady said that he wanted to do to improve the fiscal situation of the state. He should spend the next two years trying to do exactly that. - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:55 pm: I don’t think Brady’s future is in Congress. Not that he couldn’t win, it’s just that it would take decades before he could rise far enough through seniority to be in a position to help his home building business. Heck, Denny Hastert had to wait until he became Speaker to profit off of his private land deals. Brady doesn’t have the patience to wait it out. He’s better off in the state Senate, where he can routinely vote for legislation that benefits his business and suffer no consequences. Why on earth would he leave? - Coty - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:57 pm: Let’s see. he lost a primary for a congressional seat, lost a primary for governor (while coming in third in a week field), then snatched defeat from the certain jaws of victory against the weakest Democratic candidate in memory after winning a primary only because the DuPagers committed group suicide. I see a trend here, like three strikes and you’re out. Bill Brady couldn’t beat Rep. Dan Brady in Bloomington-Normal. It’s time to call it a day, Bill. - Coty - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 1:58 pm: Let’s make that a “weak” field - Yup - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 2:02 pm: Brady should go home tonight and throw a packet popcorn into his microwave oven. Upon completion of the popping, he should plop himself into his recliner and watch a comedy. Get relaxed and put all of this political stuff behind him. Then he should move to the 13th Ward and become a Precinct Captain for Speaker Madigan. - D.P. Gumby - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 2:04 pm: He’s never done anything before, why should he start now? That’s only partial snark. He is now and always has been an empty suit. He prevented Repub from reasonably certain victory. Just go away. - Amalia - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 2:12 pm: Go do what he does best…..front for the insurance industry. - kenb - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 2:29 pm: just go away - Mary, Sterling - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 2:35 pm: Yah…help the save puppies and help abort babies, Bill. There ya go. Get your priorities straight! Gassed puppy=bad optics. Sliced and diced fetus= GOOD optics. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 2:57 pm: If you cannot beat Quinn, you cannot beat anybody. Go away. While you are at it, take the IL GOP “leadership” with you. Maybe then we will see a Republican candidate who can actually win against the corrupt crony Democrat hacks. - 4 percent - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 3:12 pm: Bill should not run again but fade away. And now for the snark, if Bill decides to run for Governor then perhaps he can get a map and find the suburbs. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 3:13 pm: I sincerely doubt that he’s planning on staying put in Springfield, at least not as a legislator. Brady definitely has some ambition, I think that’s something anyone can admit whether they like him or not. Johnson’s congressional seat may be a possibility for him…and a logical one at that, but Johnson’s status is TBA right now, so everyone will have to wait to see how that plays out. Also, this may be a long shot…but anyone think that he may run against Durbin in 2014? Depending on the climate in 2014 he may have a very legitimate shot at beating Durbin. If you think about it in ‘08, obviously not a good year for Republicans, the sacrificial lamb candidate that ran against Durbin managed to receive nearly 30% of the vote. If the climate is right Durbin could be vulnerable, especially if Durbin’s views begin to be more polarized in the many tight votes that will certainly arise…at least in the current Senate. Now, nobody get me wrong…the Durbin scenario is unlikely; nonetheless, that is certainly something that should be on Brady’s radar (especially if the primary field is not terribly impressive.) Moreover, if a Republican beats the President in 2012, I don’t think it would be unfair or a stretch to say that Brady may be considered for an administrative appointment (especially if someone like Mitch Daniels takes the nod.) Anyway you slice it, I don’t think Brady is going to sit idly by in the state capitol. Just my opinion. - So IL M - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 3:20 pm: Brady, and all of the GOP in the House and Senate should go on the offensive beginning in the Veto Sesion. The Message did not fail, Brady’s campaign failed. Look around the State and Country, the Conservative voices that were heard this year will not go away, and will get stronger. Push the Conservative Agenda that people want. When Civil Unions come up for a vote, make the Progresives defend it, and put it up for a Ballot Referendum, let the people vote on it. re-introduce a Concealed Carry Bill, but this time tie it to a proposal to make the posesion of a firearm a Class-X felony. Make progresives defend why Law Abiding Citizens should be disarmed, while the penalty for felons carrying a firearm is only a couple years. Show where and how bubget cuts should be made. Push legislation that will appeal to the Conservative movement that is what people are looking for. Brady only lost in Cairo, Carbondale and Chicago. Quinn was elected by less than half the voters. Gains were made in the State Legislature. More GOP Congressmen than there have been in recent memory. Do not give up, do not give in to wishy-washy apeasing moderates. Stand up and give clear solutions to the problems, which is what the campaign did not do. Then, the groundwork will be laid for GOP victorys to possibly take back the state house in 2012, and to make it possible for a Conservative Governor in 2014. But the work must start now. - Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 3:24 pm: Be the state senator for all the people in your district. When someone contacts you or your staff about an issue listen, don’t tell me what I’m going to say, and then push me out the door. That’s what you have done to those of us who may not agree 100% with you on pensions, school funding, and the use of public funds for private education. Listen, we can agree to disagree but don’t keep looking out the door hoping your secretary or an aide will come in an shoo us out. We remember, Bill, and we vote. - Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 3:31 pm: And, Bill, why don’t you get involved with the leadership in your caucus? It may help you to learn to get along with all of your caucus and not just those whose thinking is lock-step with yours. Work at networking when you aren’t running for office. Take Dan Rutherford for an example. Ok, he lost the S of State election–he took it on the chin for the party in a no-win situation–but he made contacts up and down the state. Four years later, he won. But, you gotta get out there and not just sit in the back with the boys. - Wally - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:05 pm: Nearly Normal——–Please tell us YOUR thoughts on the use of public funds for private education. - Jake from Elwood - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:07 pm: He should consider a return to the private sector once his term expires and for the heck of it, he should consider growing a beard. - John Presta - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:08 pm: Isn’t Brady part-time anyway? Seriously, I can’t see him staying around. Presumably, the Democrats will be stronger by 2012 because the economy will be stronger. After, it is the economy . . . ah . . . you know. - Ghost of John Brown - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:10 pm: Just as with other candidates, try once, great. Try twice - ok, I guess. Try three time - not a chance. Time to let someone else try. I voted (primary and general) and campaigned for Brady, but now it is time to move on. If he can be happy in the State Senate - great. If he once to run for Congress someday - that is fine too. However, he has proven that he did not have what it takes to win at the state-wide level. - just sayin' - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:11 pm: 1. Try to get attendance record up in the senate, i.e. come to work more. 2. Wait 4 yrs. Maybe Jason Plummer’s tax returns will turn up. 3, Start contributing to Humane Society. A lot. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:18 pm: Any talk of Brady running for Congress at this point is absurd. No one knows what the Illinois congressional map will even look like at this point, except that it will look nothing like it does now. Personally, I’m hoping for some good match-ups, like Shimkus v. Costello and Schock v. Johnson. - siriusly - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:41 pm: YDD - if the US Dems have any influence the map would find a way to put Kinziger up against Schock. And Walsh against Hultgren. They need to knock down a few of those GOP “rising stars”. - Coty - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:46 pm: The GOP has two young downstate stars in Congress with Schock and Kinzinger. So no room for Bill there. And if Tim Johnson decides to hang it up, Dan Brady will run and swamp Bill in Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana. The people in B-N know which Brady has delivered the goods. - t zoble - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:50 pm: He could introduce a bill to make Chicago its own state. Three county Quinn could rule over Chicago and the rest of the state could balance their budget. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:52 pm: He should run for comptroller next, maybe then he could learn how the state spends the money he insists Quinn’s administration was hiding from him. - Logic not emotion - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:56 pm: Brady: Try to soften his perception a bit and then take advantage of his name recognition to run for Secretary of State when Jesse quits. Let Dillard or Rutherford or someone else run for the seat occupied by Durbin. YDD: The redistricting is an excellent point. Wouldn’t it be nice if the parties in charge of the remapping took the high, moral road and went with a redistricting plan that utilized a software program with population and boundary information only, started at one corner of the state, and redistricted without regard to voting history or other factors. The software would try to keep districts compact, uniformly shaped, and with variances only to account for previously defined boundaries (counties, streets, etc.). I know, not a chance; but that is what leaders would do if they cared about fairness even a fraction as much as they care about preserving or increasing their power. The redistricting games are a microcosm of all that is wrong with politics today. Want to restore a bit of honor to politics in Illinois? Prove it by delegating the remapping to an entity which utilizes a software program to do it as suggested above. Don’t tout some reform legislation that doesn’t really do much. - Wally - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 4:57 pm: Well, Quinn was State Treasurer in the 90’s and in the LT and Guv’s chair the past 8 years and he is plenty clueless about the state’s finances. - Jaded - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 5:15 pm: Question of the Day tomorrow. How much is Rich Miller loving this little war between Tenaska, Exelon and the business guys? - archpundit - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 5:21 pm: ====The software would try to keep districts compact, uniformly shaped, and with variances only to account for previously defined boundaries (counties, streets, etc.). I know, not a chance; but that is what leaders would do if they cared about fairness even a fraction as much as they care about preserving or increasing their power. I’m sure Republicans would love that as it would be a map that concentrates Democrats in the fewest number of Districts with African-Americans and Latinos being put in the smallest number of Districts as well. A fair map would also take into account the overall partisan tilt of the state which is more Democratic while the map you just proposed would concentrate Democratic voters in the fewest number of Districts. It’s perfectly fine to say that’s what you want, but let’s be honest about the consequences of such ‘neutral’ redistricting plans. - Boone Logan Square - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 5:31 pm: Adopt a puppy. And work on specific proposals for spending cuts. - Just The Way It Is One - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 6:26 pm: What BB should do now is what he did before–be Bill Brady. If he’s “seen the light” now on some of his past, questionable positions on certain issues, however, then change. Hey–it’s actually okay to do that sometimes, even if you’re a proud Republican “conservative.” If he looks up to him, (and no doubt he does), Ronald Reagan did it–so can BB. The worst that can happen is someone calls you a “flip flopper” and who DOESN’T change their position or approach to some subject once awhile? If ya can’t, join the ARCHIE Bunker Club, but know that most everybody snickers behind your back or WILL, and perhaps rightfully so, be critical of you for being TOO obstinate about something. But the Guv run? Give it a break, Bill. It was a razor-thin loss, but it’s over now. Please, let’s focus on passing some good laws that better Illinoisans’ lives and governing already–the time for rhetoric is done–do the job Illinoisans pay taxes for you to get your salary for! Planning and plotting your every move for something an entire FOUR years from now NOW would be utterly disgraceful. - LakeCountyLarry - Wednesday, Nov 17, 10 @ 8:52 pm: Brady should know that Illinois voters already said GOOD RIDDANCE to him ! - Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Nov 18, 10 @ 7:39 am: @Logic not emotion & Arch-Pundit: Logic: the software already exists, the census data and boundary information are publicly available, so please, draw us a map. In fact, draw us all three maps, starting from each of the three corners of the state. I guarantee you that you CANNOT draw a map with Congressional districts that meet all three criteria: 1. Contain equal numbers of people; 2. Are uniformly shaped and compacted; 3. Do not subdivide existing County, township, municipal and ward boundaries, so-called “concentric districts.” ANY map you draw is going to have to sacrifice either #2 or #3 at some point. At WHICH point is a human decision. So let’s drop this subterfuge about how the computer is going to draw the map. Yeah, a computer drew the map, but some guy who was never elected, probably doesn’t even live in Illinois, wrote the software. Secondly, diluting minority representation, intentionally or not, violates the Voting Rights Act. A redistricting plan that reduces the number of African Americans or Latinos serving in the Illinois General Assembly would violate federal law. Finally, I think “concentric districts” that draw representation along existing county, township, municipal and ward boundaries is a BAD IDEA. Napervillans are probably much better off with 5 state reps and 3 state senators, instead of 3 and two. Even if that means that they have to go to “all the trouble” of visiting the State Board of Elections website to type in their address and figure out who their state rep is. More importantly, I think the Body Politic benefits from having lawmakers whose districts bridge the divide between Chicago and the suburbs, between suburban Cook and the Collar Counties, between the Collar Counties and downstate, between downstate cities and their smaller towns, villages, and open spaces. Concentric districts will only exacerbate partisan and parochial divides. And ironically, contrary to conventional wisdom, in Illinois they result not in more competitive or battleground districts, but more districts where the outcome of the election is determined in the primary, which disenfranchises the millions of independent voters in Illinois. But don’t take my word for it: draw your maps and see for yourself. - Unions Won It For Quinn - Thursday, Nov 18, 10 @ 8:30 am: To all those “moderates” saying Brady should go away: If you get your way, your moderate Republican will go down in flames next time. Like it or not, Brady was able to unify the party behind his candidacy. His 1.7 million-plus votes represent more votes than Jim Edgar got in his initial run for Governor in 1990 and the support of many voters fed up with the go-along-to-get-along wishy washy candidates that get smashed every cycle. Mark Kirk ran a federal race where he didn’t have to worry about unions blasting away at him. Brady hurt himself with his honesty about the need for pension reform and the non-competitive nature of our high minimum wage. You can look at suburbanite Mark Kirk’s higher numbers in the suburbs than downstater Brady, but if you go to the heavy state employee downstate counties like Sangamon and Champaign and look at the dropoff between Brady and Judy or Rutherford, you’ll see that it was the unions scare tactics against Brady that cost him the election. With consistent numbers in those areas, he could have won. He has a massive organization that worked hard for him, and he carried several counties Republicans haven’t won in years, helping pull new Congressman, state legislators, countywide candidates and county board candidates across the finish line that never would have won otherwise. he raised a lot of money outside of the RGA and without the help of some of the big GOP money guys in Chicago. Like it or not, he established himself as a leader in the party. If he hadn’t, he couldn’t have come as close as he did. He’ll be included in the talk in four years, but I think he should only run if he gets a re-match with Quinn. The budget situation isn’t likely to be better, and he still has room to define himself better up in the ‘burbs. If everything were to go right, he could do the whole “I told you so” thing Judy didn’t have the support base to do. But there remains the Lisa Madigan factor where she could take Quinn out in a primary, in which case, voters would be left with a sacrificial lamb type GOPer as an alternative. No matter what, Brady needs to be a Senator during session and not even seriously think about anything else until at least this summer. Everything is still too fresh. He needs to take some time to step back, see what’s best for him, and what he could do to best help the party with what he’s built over the last several years. - will county repub - Thursday, Nov 18, 10 @ 8:34 am: @Coty - Didn’t realize that Will county was considered “downstate”. That’s where Kinzinger is from!! - Cincinnatus - Thursday, Nov 18, 10 @ 9:13 am: YDD, Use the Googles to search for the Iowa plan for redistricting. The three parameters are each maximized. - ShadyBillBrady - Thursday, Nov 18, 10 @ 11:47 am: He should listen to all those people saying he was the right candidate and should run for Gov again (even though, really, he shouldn’t)… He should listen to all the people saying he should consider a run for US Congress (despite the fact the party would never support him against Adam or Aaron) … He should run for any lower statewide office (even though he never will because that would be too tough for his ego to handle). So … maybe he should just work on being a State Senator that his constituents that don’t live in BCC and aren’t connected to insurance or home-building can respect and appreciate. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.