Rep. Cassidy endorses Sen. Biss
Thursday, Jun 29, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Today, Daniel Biss announced the endorsement of State Representative Kelly Cassidy.
“From the minute I met Daniel, I was impressed,” said Kelly Cassidy. “First, by his hair. But after that, by his willingness to be his own person - that he would make his own decisions on behalf of his district based on what he believes is right, even when a vote might be politically risky for him.
“Daniel is the only candidate in this race who has a record of enacting real, progressive change, including for the LGBTQ community. When we passed the ban on conversion therapy, when we passed marriage equality — he was there every step of the way, working with me and others in the community, doing the actual hard work of making laws that protect us.
“We have seen from the last 2.5 years that being Governor should not and cannot be an entry level job. Daniel has the real experience in governing we need. I’m proud to support him, and excited continue working with him as Governor.”
“It’s an honor to have Kelly on my side,” said Daniel Biss. “Kelly has proven herself a moral compass in a lost legislature, and a passionate defender of equal rights, especially for the LGBTQ community. From fighting for a living wage, to reforming our criminal justice system, to creating a safe and equal place for all of our communities, Kelly and I have worked together for years, and it means the world to me to me to receive her support today. I’m excited to work with Kelly today and for years to come to ensure that all Illinoisans have a seat at the table.”
That’s the second House Democrat to endorse Biss this week, even though he spends a lot of time lumping Speaker Madigan in with Gov. Rauner.
* Tribune…
Pritzker, meanwhile, is planning a phone bank over the issue of health care as Republicans in Washington try to advance a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The phone bank is the latest effort among Democrats critical of Rauner for not saying more about the GOP proposals, including a Senate Republican measure that would phase out funding for Illinois’ expansion of Medicaid coverage.
Rauner has said he has “concerns” about the proposals.
“We will call Bruce Rauner. We will call Republican congressional leaders. We will call (Illinois’ Democratic U.S. Sens.) Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to thank them for their hard work. And we will call on others to help us make a difference,” Pritzker said in a statement.
I’ve never seen a press release announcing a phone bank before. Then again, I’ve never seen a phone bank that focused on calling elected officials. They also called voters, though.
* Meanwhile, Ameya Pawar has a new campaign video (click here) and the Trib talks about Chris Kennedy’s latest fundraising e-mail (click here).
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 11:18 am:
==That’s the second House Democrat to endorse Biss this week, even though he spends a lot of time lumping Speaker Madigan in with Gov. Rauner.==
The ones endorsing him ain’t exactly Lou Lang, though, y’know?
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 11:20 am:
Maybe the phone bank will help Greg Hinz smoke out the gov on this.
- Roman - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 11:21 am:
== First, by his hair. ==
That’s awesome!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 11:26 am:
To the Post,
This is Biss understanding who he is in this race and the endorsements are a tad bit bigger (not incredibly larger) because what Biss is doing is making his case, piece by piece, and the two endorsements so far are consistent with how Biss and Biss’ Crew want Biss seen in this field of candidates, and as a candidate beyond March 2018.
Again, with Biss, finding his, and know where his sweet spots are, the true measure, after January, will clearly be how large (ballroom, gymnasium, full auditorium) of “rooms” Biss can fill, how engaged the grassroots are with Biss, and, frankly, how invested his supporters will be, given Biss’ is kinda/sorta modeling after “Bernie”, but dies not have the “mega megaphone” right now to build this.
Biss is organizing, this endorsement falls within the campaign Biss wants out there as his run.
Good on him.
- CubsFan - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 11:29 am:
What about the effing BUDGET????????
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 11:40 am:
To Pritzker,
It’s kind of a head scratcher, here’s why.
They have the “luxury” of money. The one thing money can do is buy immediate response and juggle lots of juggling balls with the financial support to do it.
Mailers take days to rollout, and the US Senate just yesterday gave this perfect window to hammer directly at Rauner.
So, my question is…
Why not, actually reading the Senate problems in real time, use the advantage of money to wait, and now, instead of a phone back, and the early Mail on healthcare… why make this window from yesterday until August a rapid response type front against Rauner, a sitting governor, and his lone silence?
This “phone bank”… what is Pritzker’s end game? The goal is to defeat Rauner. Pritzker isn’t running for Congress, Senate, the goal is to put direct, immediate heat and focus that heat on the only person Pritzker needs to target, Gov. Rauner.
It’s wonky politics versus the politics of defeating your opponent… by using the policy and applying that directly to your opponent, and defeating both with simpler focus, on one person.
It’s unorthodox.
The reason “Pat Quinn failed” worked…
… was the sheer simplicity of linking Pat Quinn to policy, and not connecting wonky “extra steps or avenues” to do so.
Now, if this is just a chance to link Pritzker to motivated grassroots Dems in an exercise to build goodwill and get people engaged in process and see Pritzker in that too, they’re walking it around the barn quite a bit to get there, but…
- Dan Johnson - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 12:20 pm:
That’s the best first line quote of any endorsement press release ever.
- Concerned Mom - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 12:22 pm:
Whoopee…so the failed status quo gets endorsed by the failed status quo…meanwhile, Illinois burns.
- Juvenal - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 12:30 pm:
=== . I’m proud to support him, and excited continue working with him as Governor.” ===
A typo and a capitalization error.
Worthwhile endorsement. D on the execution.
Rod Blagojevich liked to joke about his hair. You wanna tell hair jokes, try the comedy club. These are serious times, they call for serious leaders, not a Carhartt-wearing ventriloquist doll or an Elvis impersonator or reality show host.
If you actually become governor, it’s Governor Biss. Until then, you are still a state senator, State Senator Biss, according to both AP and Chicago Manual of Style.
- RIP Bernie Epton - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 1:05 pm:
A state rep from Chicago doesn’t endorse the only elected official from Chicago in the race?
Seriously, has anyone endorsed Pawar?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 1:07 pm:
===endorse the only elected official from Chicago in the race?===
When did Evanston become part of Chicago?
- EVanstonian - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 1:09 pm:
OW, I believe RIP Bernie was referring to Pawar being the only elected official from Chicago in the race.
- City wonk - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 1:12 pm:
RIPBernie
————-
No One’s endorsed Pewar. I doubt anyone will but that’s probably his play.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 1:17 pm:
===I believe RIP Bernie was referring to Pawar being the only elected official from Chicago in the race===
I was tweaking Pawar.
Left-handedly
- EVanstonian - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 2:06 pm:
And there’s me, with something wooshing over my head. My bad.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 2:54 pm:
I should not be surprised. Kelly Cassidy know that the prior pension reform and voted for it after promising to vote against it and then they made excuses.
Boss thinks that he is the smartest person on the planet.
I will not vote for him, Period.
I endorse Kennedy.
Cassidy thinks that she is the smartest woman in the universe.
They are both too arrogant for my vote.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 2:56 pm:
Knew that the prior pension reform was unconstitutional
She voted for it anyways and so did Biss who was pushing hard for it
They violated their oath to the Constitution
- Veil of Ignorance - Thursday, Jun 29, 17 @ 3:35 pm:
It’s a good endorsement, but I think it’s unsurprising given Cassidy is also pushing for a new direction for the House Dems. If Biss locks down Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, then he’ll be continuing to establish himself as the strongest grassroots progressive in this primary. Pawar has done some good stuff recently, but it’ll be hard for him to shed his Rahm-friendly years in the eyes of active Chicago progressives. To the anonymous post, I do think Biss should have a strong, clear answer on his pension reform work (perhaps a good faith mea culpa); there’s some decent options there, but silence won’t work for the duration of the primary race.