Biss endorsed by Sierra Club
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Today, the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter announces their endorsement of Daniel Biss for Illinois Governor.
“Daniel Biss is the bold leader Illinois needs at this crucial time, with Donald Trump taking America backward and Bruce Rauner putting polluters first,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “Daniel Biss knows that clean energy is the right choice for our future, and that clean air and water are a basic right of all Illinoisans. We know Daniel Biss will put people over polluters as our Governor because that is exactly what he has done in the General Assembly. That’s why Sierra Club is mobilizing our members and supporters in this race, to elect a bold champion for our future.”
“I’m proud to receive the endorsement of the Illinois Sierra Club, especially in an election with such drastic consequences for the environment,” said Daniel Biss. “Bruce Rauner, JB Pritzker, and Chris Kennedy all hold personal investments in dirty energy. We’ve seen how this financial stake has guided Bruce Rauner’s decision-making as he’s invited polluters to rewrite emissions standards, jeopardized funding for public resources, and failed to provide economic opportunity for communities that rely on the declining fossil fuel industry. We can’t allow another businessman to line his own pockets at our expense.”
“As a middle-class parent, community organizer, and progressive state senator, I’ve joined with the Sierra Club for years to fight for policies that prioritize our families and the future of our planet above corporate profits. We’ve organized around policies to support wind farm research, help local governments and businesses invest in renewables, and create clean energy jobs, and we’ve fought for the progressive revenue sources we need to do even more. It’s an honor to welcome them to our team.”
In endorsing Daniel Biss, the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter joins other progressive leaders and organizations including National Nurses United, MoveOn, BlackRoots Resistance, Reclaim Chicago, U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly, former Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon, State Representatives Kelly Cassidy, Carol Ammons and Will Guzzardi, and many more.
* Celebratory tweet…
* Meanwhile, I’ve never heard of this guy, but he has 3.1 million YouTube subscribers and 5.4 million Twitter followers…
* From Monday’s forum…
Kennedy criticized Biss as a “career politician” after the forum, attacking him for taking donations from Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, who recently fired a top aide for making “unwanted advances” with a political consultant.
Kennedy’s comments came minutes after the Biss campaign released a statement that called for Madigan to step down as chair of the Democratic party in Illinois.
Asked what else he wanted Biss to do, Kennedy said he should have been calling for Madigan to resign from the position last week. “To be part of the Springfield elite, to be a part of that system, and to promise change, I don’t think that’s possible,” he said.
Both candidates clarified that they are not necessarily calling for Madigan to step down as speaker.
“We’ve seen now days of evidence of evasion, dodging the question, trying to hide the problem instead of solve the problem. It’s time for him to step down,” Biss said.
* Speaking of which, I’m not totally sure why this never got any traction…
I think it got lost in the shuffle because it happened during the height of the Kevin Quinn scandal.
- Tree Fiddy - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:22 pm:
“Meanwhile, I’ve never heard of this guy, but he has 3.1 million YouTube subscribers and 5.4 million Twitter followers…”
C’mon Rich, you always struck me a connoisseur of John Green and his young adult novels! /s
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:25 pm:
–* Meanwhile, I’ve never heard of this guy, but he has 3.1 million YouTube subscribers and 5.4 million Twitter followers…–
Must be on the Roeper plan.
A quick look at his twitter reveals a dude fascinated by the contents of his navel. (shocking for twitter, I know).
- NIU Grad - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:26 pm:
Do enough people even know who Hull is? For those who do, is any knowledge of domestic violence be known? I know I haven’t heard much about either him or allegations.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:27 pm:
===I know I haven’t heard much about===
You never heard about Denise Rotheimer either, I reckon.
- Actual Red - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:28 pm:
If Daniel Biss being a career politician is a bad thing, what does that say about John, Robert, Ted, and Joe Kennedy? It’d be one thing if Kennedy wasn’t so keen on touting his family legacy, but jeez.
- Rutro - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:30 pm:
Biss; save trees, cut pensions!
- PJ - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:31 pm:
==what does that say about John, Robert, Ted, and Joe Kennedy?==
Hah, good point. 98% of his appeal to people is his familial relation to a bunch of “career politicians”.
- MissingG - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:34 pm:
How do I hang out with John Green and Daniel Biss at a bar?
- Who is John Green? - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:41 pm:
You need to talk to some teenage girls or take a peak at the Young Adult chart in the New York Times Book Review. He is one of the best-selling young adult authors of the last ten years or so (some of which have been turned into movies): Paper Towns, The Fault in our Stars, Looking for Alaska, Turtles All the Way Down.
In certain circles, this is a big deal.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:45 pm:
==I know I haven’t heard much about either him or allegations.==
I imagine if you know Hull, you know about this. It was a BFD in 2004 and it pretty much gave us Barack Obama.
But it was 2004, and Blair Hull has done nothing of note since then. 14 years is a long time.
- SAP - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 4:55 pm:
Will the advocates ask Senator Biss to give back his Shaw Decremer money too?
- NIU Grad - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 5:02 pm:
“But it was 2004, and Blair Hull has done nothing of note since then. 14 years is a long time”
Yup.
- Alex - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 5:36 pm:
The woman leading that “protest” of Senator Biss is Julie Contreras of LULAC. If we could see the contributions to her organization, then I’m sure we would know exactly why she was out there. When I worked for a congressional candidate, she gave us trouble. When I worked for Sierra Club trying to close one of the oldest and dirtiest coal plants in the country (Waukegan) she testified that the company was great for the community. Even pulled out the old adage that kids should chew on coal to feel better when they’re not feeling well. Needless to say, she has an interesting history.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 5:38 pm:
===If we could see the contributions to her organization, then I’m sure we would know exactly why she was out there===
So, you’re implying she was bought off? Huh. I thought Biss’ campaign rejected that sort of nastiness.
- CharlieKratos - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 6:07 pm:
John Green and his brother Hank are also internet activists. Big time Progressives. They’re much more than a YA author and his nerdy brother. Look into the Vlog Brothers and DFTBA. They’ve got quite a few positive projects in the works, especially on YouTube.
- Steward As Well... - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 6:11 pm:
Sierra Club…. Oh my, the same outfit that cost Springfield a bundle with threatened litigation until the city said “uncle” and built that drek wind stuff…. I just might have to vote for the other side if he faces off against the Guv./S
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 7:31 pm:
—I’ve never heard of this guy, but he has 3.1 million YouTube subscribers and 5.4 million Twitter followers…
Yeah, you don’t have a preteen or teen daughter, but he’s kind of a big deal. 24 million copies of his books in print and a couple movies made out of them.
- Blue dog dem - Tuesday, Feb 20, 18 @ 8:20 pm:
I guess Biss has gone all.in on this one. Kinda thought he would play nice. Set himself up to replace Dicky D. Maybe he pulls one out. I doubt it. Time will tell. I wonder if he kept his teaching creds?