29 Comments - A guy - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 1:25 pm: Nicely done. - PublicServant - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 1:32 pm: Nice, no-BS speech by Rich…best phrase “We don’t live in a cartoon”. Stop making everything binary, editorial boards. I am, however, afraid that where we DO live is in increasing dystopia. - Dome Gnome - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 1:34 pm: “Miller’s Modest Proposal.” - illini - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 1:37 pm: Cogent, succinct and far too short. - Downstate Dem - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 1:46 pm: Appreciate Rich’s blunt style including advice to gubernatorial candidates to come up with an independent, positive vision for the state. Miller, from downstate, also knows first-hand about the challenges facing downstate. As always, good job with a dose of humor to keep it real. - thunderspirit - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 1:46 pm: My greatest takeaway is that I regret not being able to get tickets. - Rich's Mom - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 1:59 pm: Great speech and insightful as always. Proud of him. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 2:02 pm: The insight and the realities and busting of the myths are restaurant-quality. You can’t underestimate how important it is that reality of situations get highlighted and the debunking of fallacies get highlighted too. - It's All About Me - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 2:09 pm: Good speech. Couldn’t help think when Rich put on those glasses “Santa!?” - Doug - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 2:15 pm: Rich should have sang……. - Anonymous - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 3:10 pm: Rich isn’t as polished a speaker as, say, Churchill, or Trump /s, but there is a real honesty and ‘earthiness’ (?) in his presentation - more importantly, a knowledge drawn from the hard work of digging out facts vs. depending on chatter, which is the realm of the lazy reporter. We need earnest over dazzling. The Cap provides that in spades and we are beneficiaries thereof. For that reason, Rich take care of your health - we need you, no joke. More than ever. - Oh Really? - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 3:30 pm: As always, Rich does a fine job covering what’s happening in Illinois politics. Unfortunately, the politics have become a theater of the absurd, which makes the luncheon a source of amusement for those in attendance, but how many will reflect on the substance of Rich’s comments that “downstate Illinois is rusting” and about the crisis of drug abuse and the ongoing quibbling of our political leaders? Not deciding on a set of solutions- tax increase, labor reforms, etc. is like hemming and hawing whether to have chemo and then dying of cancer before you make your decision. C’mon Illinois leaders. You can do better! - BK Bro - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 3:46 pm: Rich - with no budget and no serious plan to create a budget (that’s been made public, at least), what do members of the senate and house really do all day? Like, do they just show up to work and sit there? Serious question. If neither side is caving in on anything, what do they do when they meet? - Lucky Pierre - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 4:11 pm: Rich’s comments about the lack of economic growth especially downstate could have been delivered by Governor Rauner. Sad Democrats can’t see this obvious truth and do nothing to change the business environment in Illinois. - Oneman - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 4:23 pm: Santa’s younger brother is looking good all things considered… - Tommydanger - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 4:26 pm: Its always refreshing and enjoyable to listen to an adult discuss in an honest and straightforward manner the complex problems facing our state. Thanks Rich. - Enviro - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 4:27 pm: == Trump victory revealed problems within Democratic Party == Trump victory revealed problems within the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The people who voted for Trump were voting against the establishment in both political parties. The Republicans in Illinois represent the establishment to the people of Illinois just as much or more than the Democrats. We are still a blue state according to the outcome of the November election. - wordslinger - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 4:46 pm: –Sad Democrats can’t see this obvious truth and do nothing to change the business environment in Illinois.– I imagine Democrats and Republicans could get behind increasing support for higher education. That seems to be the economic engine outside of the metro areas in the country. What about Gov. Squeeze-the-Beast? http://www.wsj.com/articles/theres-an-antidote-to-americas-long-economic-malaise-college-towns-1481558522 LP, I know you keep up to date on global manufacturing trends, so I’m sure you and the Bots will factor these facts into your snake-oil, I mean, economic agenda. From today’s Wall Street Journal: –Factories were humming back to life even before a pledge to revitalize American manufacturing helped propel Donald Trump to the presidency. But jobs aren’t returning in kind, a reality that will make it tough for Mr. Trump—or anyone—to significantly boost employment in the industrial heartland, as he has pledged to do. Technology and automation have given manufacturing companies the means to function, and even thrive, with fewer employees than ever before. Manufacturing output is nearing prerecession levels. But about 1.5 million factory jobs—about 20% of positions lost during the downturn—haven’t returned. Manufacturers employed 12.3 million people in November, down from 13.7 million in December 2007, when the recession officially began.– http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-factories-are-working-again-factory-workers-not-so-much-1482080400 - wordslinger - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 6:25 pm: –Sad Democrats can’t see this obvious truth and do nothing to change the business environment in Illinois.– I’m sure Democrats and Republicans would like to see the engines of Downstate economic growth, state universities and community colleges, get the support needed to further leverage private enterprise. How do they persuade the governor? https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/theres-an-antidote-to-americas-long-economic-malaise-college-towns/ar-AAltsPr - Amalia - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 7:32 pm: Rich’s straightforward approach….and often deep brevity….is appreciated. a vote for Rauner is a vote for Madigan is brilliant. - justacitizen - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 7:53 pm: Good speech-tough audience. Historical look back and suggestions to the Dem party made a lot of sense. - PublicServant - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 8:00 pm: Rauner (and Trump) is what you get when you vote against something without sufficient knowledge of what the alternative has to offer in terms of leadership. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 8:04 pm: I also think Rich’s statement, “that’s how we got Bruce Rauner” is the forgotten truth why his campaign and message against Quinn worked so well. Forget that at your own peril. - Lucky Pierre - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 8:19 pm: Take it up with Rich Wordslinger Sad you defend the lack of any reforms here in Illinois that would help blue collar private sector workers - Been There - Monday, Dec 19, 16 @ 9:46 pm: ===Sad you defend the lack of any reforms here in Illinois that would help blue collar private sector workers === Yeah. Especially if we had work comp levels like those in Indiana. I bet workers would love to receive 50% to 200% less for losing a limb or two. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 7:56 am: I thought it was a great speech, told by someone with much knowledge and experience. Those are some hard truths there, but they have to be told. I liked the pacing, too, with some pauses for emphasis. I agree that a political party has to be forward-thinking. I agree with Reps. Cassidy and Guzzardi, that Democrats need an agenda and messaging. Part of the messaging has to withering attacks on Rauner. “Yeah. Especially if we had work comp levels like those in Indiana. I bet workers would love to receive 50% to 200% less for losing a limb or two.” Democrats should seize the narrative on reform, because their workers comp and property tax reform would be far less harsh than Rauner’s. - illini97 - Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 9:05 am: Ok, Lucky Pierre, I’ll bite. What are these blue collar reforms that will put every worker back on the job? do you have the Return on Investment numbers on any of this? - A guy - Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 9:08 am: ==Rauner (and Trump) is what you get when you…=== …violate the trust of the people you take so often for granted and they demand change. Those people knew for certain what direction they were going in and they didn’t like it. Please keep in mind that both of these people won. In certain places (where there is more economic pain) they won decisively. How about the Dems pay attention to their own loyal constituency and quit ridiculing them because they didn’t fall into line? - JS Mill - Tuesday, Dec 20, 16 @ 9:13 am: =Sad you defend the lack of any reforms here in Illinois that would help blue collar private sector workers= THat would lower their wages, which have been stagnant for 35 years as corporate profits and CEO compensation has rocketed to record level. Sad that you get that and carry the flag for even more income loss. The “reform” (truly a nonsense word in our time) that really needs to happen is Illinois needs to pay its’ bills. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.