Weekend campaign roundup
Monday, Apr 17, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Biss was clearly a star of the show, but the march didn’t get a whole lot of coverage…
Large protests rarely begin with the Chicken Dance, but Saturday’s Tax March in Chicago’s Richard J. Daley plaza was an exception.
The march — attended by thousands of protesters — called for President Donald Trump to release his tax returns. It was one of about 200 such marches held across the country ahead of Tax Day on Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) spoke, as did Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.
* A bit of his speech…
* Pearson…
Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker on Sunday accused the media of trying to divide the primary field into categories of establishment and progressive contenders and said he’s firmly in the progressive camp despite his immense wealth.
“Let’s be clear that it’s the media that’s decided to break it down into an establishment versus progressive. I’m a progressive,” the billionaire investor and entrepreneur said on WGN AM-720 in describing his work on child care, education, social justice and job creation.
“There’s nobody running in this race and nobody on the other side — for sure, the governor — who’s created jobs like I have. So job creation is hugely important. It’s something I’m running on. I don’t know what you want to call that. I call that good for the state,” he said in reference to founding the private investment firm the Pritzker Group and the tech incubator 1871.
Pritzker is seeking the Democratic nomination for the chance to take on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner along with another wealthy rival, Chris Kennedy of the iconic political family. Two others seeking the nomination — 47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar and state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston — have warned Democrats they should not try to combat Rauner’s wealth by nominating a wealthy candidate and have sought support among populist progressives in the party.
We’ve had four cycles in a row where the Democratic candidate attacked the Republican candidate for being a rich white guy (Quinn vs. Brady, Obama vs. Romney, Quinn vs. Rauner, Clinton vs. Trump). It’s what they do, and it’s worked more often than not in this state, so Pritzker is in for the same treatment.
Pritzker is in Springfield and Champaign today…
JB Pritzker to tour the Illinois Coalition for Community Services and learn about how the organization has adapted without a state budget. ICCR is a member of the Illinois Collaboration on Youth, an organization that serves as a collective voice for young people and community-based providers.
He’s also apparently doing a lot of social media advertising…
Heh.
* Tom Kacich…
Iroquois County Democrats are already on board with former University of Illinois board chairman Chris Kennedy as their party’s nominee for governor in 2018.
The party’s central committee endorsed Kennedy last Tuesday — more than 11 months before the March 20 primary election.
“It was the initiative of the people on the committee,” said Dale Strough, party chairman. “Even though it is early in the campaign I think we have a pretty good idea of the field, who is running and the basic information and who we think is the best candidate.”
Strough said there was discussion about making the unusually early endorsement, “but in the end it was unanimously approved.”
Not mentioned: A grand total of 253 Iroquois County residents cast Democratic ballots in the 2014 gubernatorial primary.
- Cable Line Beer Gardener - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 10:41 am:
Later this summer I will be moving to Iroquois County, so it looks like I won’t be the lone democrat.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 10:43 am:
=== I will be moving to Iroquois County===
Make sure to visit Conrad’s Saloon in Ashkum. The proprietor is both a White Sox fan and a Democrat, making him a truly unique character in that county.
- JS Mill - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 10:58 am:
=Make sure to visit Conrad’s Saloon in Ashkum. The proprietor is both a White Sox fan and a Democrat, making him a truly unique character in that county.=
Rich, I wish I had known that about 15 years ago, I would have been making that drive regularly. I think I was the lone Sox fan and non-partisan voter in Ford county.
I have moved since then and I am still pretty lonely on those two accounts!
- walker - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 10:59 am:
Starting to get impressed with Pritzker’s message vs Rauner: “jobs creator versus jobs killer”. And it’s demonstrably true.
Not sure what it does in the Primary.
- Anonymous - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 11:01 am:
Plenty of bars in that town, and well used. Town was originally called “AskThem”
- Anonymous - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 11:05 am:
Guy with bullhorn “What do we want!?”
Protesters: “For Donald Trump to immediately release his tax returns for public disclosure!”
Guy with bullhorn: “When do we want it?!
Protesters: ” NOW”
- donwstate commissioner - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 11:21 am:
anonymous @ 11:05: aren’t you off topic? Trump (and Rauner) probably makes more money than you or me: who cares? I don’t understand this obsession about knowing how much other people make: Jealousy?
Sorry, Rich, guess that wasn’t very “civilized”
- A guy - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 11:22 am:
Except….nobody cares…but them. Find something that resonates beyond your own circular firing squad. I’m not diminishing the size of these crowds, but they are in fact; diminishing.
- Arsenal - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 11:45 am:
==Except….nobody cares…but them.==
Enough people care to organize nationwide rallies on the subject. And those are the exact people Democratic primary candidates need.
This bubble isn’t doing you any good.
- Arsenal - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 11:48 am:
==ump (and Rauner) probably makes more money than you or me: who cares? I don’t understand this obsession about knowing how much other people make: Jealousy?==
With Trump, the issue is who he made his money from.
- Cable Line Beer Gardener - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 11:55 am:
====Make sure to visit Conrad’s Saloon in Ashkum.=====
Thanks Rich, it’s on the list.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
===it’s on the list===
I’ve been going to that bar since I was a kid. The current owner grew up with my uncle. The previous owner also grew up with my uncle.
- Anonymous - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:00 pm:
Downstate commish: yes I was off topic to a point. My real point, widely shared - or not - is the “protest gambit”. It was very effective in its time, it now it’s an exercise in ineffectual emotion. Circular firing squad, yes. Jesse Jackson ,et.al. Driven to a protest with bullhorn in hand, staying around as long as the cameras are working.
- ryan - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:07 pm:
I played a lot of pool at Conrad’s in high school. And the poker machine…
- Amalia - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:13 pm:
were others besides Biss asked to the rally? if not, why not?
- DuPage Bard - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:19 pm:
Seems Biss and others are going to portray Pritzker, the only person who can set up and sustain an onslaught the level that the ILGOP and Rauner have done to the Dems, as an out of touch billionaire? Well Rauner and crew should like that. Personally I think the only one Rauner and crew is worried about is Pritzker.
- Chicago Cynic - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:34 pm:
Yea, nobody cares of Trump’s tax returns…other than the vast majority of Americans.
http://www.newsweek.com/americans-still-want-see-trump-tax-returns-584278
- Responsa - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:56 pm:
The Kennedy endorsement from the large and powerful Iroquois County Democratic Central Committee is…..amusing. Prolly they’re hoping to get him to attend the County Fair.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 12:57 pm:
===Prolly they’re hoping to get him to attend the County Fair===
The best county fair in the country, IMHO.
- Responsa - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 1:05 pm:
==The best county fair in the country, IMHO.==
No argument from me on that score. I don’t get back down there every July, but I haven’t missed very many of them over 40 years.
- A guy - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 1:42 pm:
==Enough people care to organize nationwide rallies on the subject. And those are the exact people Democratic primary candidates need.==
Ars, you’re having a tough day. Go back to bed and get out the other side. Those are the exact people who the Democratic primary candidates…already have.
- JoeMaddon - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 3:35 pm:
**Those are the exact people who the Democratic primary candidates…already have.**
LOL… and what exactly do you think Democratic primary candidates’ strategies should be? Magically create and turnout new Dem primary voters?
Primaries are all about appealing to a large enough portion of the base.
- Arsenal - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
==Ars, you’re having a tough day.==
I acknowledge your attempt to make this about *me* because you can’t form a rational response.
==Those are the exact people who the Democratic primary candidates…already have.==
Not in the primary, they don’t. Biss just announced, what, a month ago? He can maybe count on his family to stay with him through March. Everyone else? A month in, before a single ad is aired, before filing is even closed, he can’t consider *any* voter “in the bag”.
You know all this. You’re not so stupid as to not know all this. You’re just so worried about Rauner that you have to say is up is down to convince yourself that no Democratic candidate ever has a good day on the trail.
- A guy - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 5:06 pm:
Ars, as painful as it may be for you, you need to read a few more of my posts. The Gov is not getting off easy with me during this time. As for the Dems in this race? As many as there are already, I’d suggest there’s still one too few. I don’t think any of this crop are up to it. Oddly, you mention Biss. Of this crop, I consider him the smartest and the most earnest. It’s the folks in his own party that will torpedo him because he didn’t bat 1.000 for them every time. He’s the best of a pretty weak field. There are better options.
- Arsenal - Monday, Apr 17, 17 @ 5:26 pm:
==Oddly, you mention Biss.==
Because he was the one at the Tax Rally that “no one cares about”. And I think very highly of Biss. But he’s been campaigning for 3 weeks. Before that, he was a State Senator with an abortive run for Comptroller. He “already has” NO ONE’S vote. The “Resistance” folks are as good a place as any to start. Hell, they’ll clearly actually organize to do something, so that puts them ahead of Kennedy’s southern county chairmen.
- Chicago Barb - Tuesday, Apr 18, 17 @ 10:33 am:
Probably so late no one will read this but the reason to want Trump’s taxes is so we can see the conflicts of interest.