* WJBC Radio…
Illinois State Senator Jason Barickman representing the 53rd district said voters need to choose which candidate can ‘paint a picture of where our state can go.’
“The people of the state they want some optimism and they want too I believe elect a leader who can move our state forward,” said Barickman speaking with WJBC’s Scott Laughlin. “There is a cloud hanging over our state. There is a cloud hanging over our community. You talk to people and people’s first inclination is to go negative [and] to talk about things that go wrong and the things that are broken. I think that the public is despite for a voice of optimism that can paint a picture of their vision of where the state can go.”
Despite having a state credit rating saddling junk, Barickman still believes Gov. Bruce Rauner has the right vision to grow Illinois.
“I’ve encouraged the Governor to focus on his vision for our state, which I do think is a good one,” said Barickman. “He believes that we need to turn our economy around not through tax increases but through reforms. I think that is a good vision. He needs to walk the public from that vision to how we get there. I think the public will reward that type of leadership that might be demonstrated at the top of the ticket. It’s up to the candidates to do so.”
Do you think the governor can do that?
- Skeptic - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:38 am:
Who says copy editing is dead?
- DuPage Bard - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:41 am:
Barickman did such a good job of telling that to the Governor during the primary… please Governor stop lying about other Republicans.
Oh wait
- Boat captain - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:41 am:
No, I don’t think he can. He is not totally responsible for the “cloud” hanging over our state but he was a big part of it. His not agreeing to a budget for 2 1/2 years is one of the reasons we needed the tax increase.
- Anonimity - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:42 am:
Rauner’s only vision is an Illinois without Madigan.
He has had three years of non-performance. He can’t claim he wants to do anything when he hasn’t done anything. In comparison to the national economy and national job numbers, Illinois is worse off right now that at any time over 12 years of Blago/Quinn.
Add a national blue wave coming in November and you can use the word “optimism” but you have to be drowning in red Kool Aid to actually believe it.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:45 am:
Good. Let’s have an open discussion about Rauner’s anti-union, middle class gouging plans for Illinois. Let’s see how he wants to extract massive savings from those who are in a precarious spot and can easily fall, and how the GOP, who are owned by Rauner and a few other super-rich, utterly refuse to tax multimillionaires and billionaires higher.
This would be a welcome break from the Madigan/Pritzker/Blago negative ad distractions. Let’s talk about the candidates’ plans and compare them.
- Jibba - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:46 am:
The gov has always been great at fantasy, so he would be great at spinning more yarns about the future. As a plus, this is an activity he has a chance of winning, unlike an examination of his past accomplishments. Nice for his surrogates to suggest that any unpleasantness about his performance in the past 4 years be conveniently forgotten in favor of positivism.
- Arsenal - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:47 am:
Sorry Jason, but the voters are angry, and happy talk is just going to make you look out of touch. In addition, Rauner won on an “the end is near!” platform, and it’s clearly how he’s most comfortable. JB does have an ad up right now about how “I know we can accomplish big things” or something like that, but clearly that isn’t gonna make Barickman change his vote.
- slow down - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:48 am:
How can the guy who has spent his entire tenure as Governor running down the state genuinely offer an optimistic vision for the state?
He’s simply not credible.
- Leigh John-Ella - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:51 am:
And exactly what vision does the governor have for this state? Nearly four years in and I have no idea. Do you? Does anyone?
He goes all in for slashing the budget only to turnaround and spend more than any governor ever has — with no central theme or purpose or vision.
Is higher education the future of Illinois or are all these schools seemingly doing the same thing the problem? Ask Rauner today and you will get a different answer than you would have yesterday, or tomorrow.
His administration has turned out to be just as rudderless and narrow sighted as Quinn’s. Rauner’s just comes with a 1-percenter Scrooge facade of meanness and uncaring, that is until a tough decision needs to be made and then he simply folds.
I suppose Barrickman’s not wrong in his rambling summary. He’s just underscoring the failures and lost opportunities of Bruce Rauner as governor.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:51 am:
Barickman makes a strange assumption that there is substance to Rauner’s grievance-peddlin’ talkin’ points. Where’s the evidence of that?
Rauner — like many in the past, present and undoubtedly the future — practices the politics of resentment to persuade enough of the anxious and fearful that all their problems are the work of “the others.” He does so to win the shiny object that he covets, which is the title of grand poohbah.
It’s a path to achieving a personal goal. Pretending that there’s more to it — “a vision” — doesn’t make it so.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:53 am:
Has the governor run a positive ad about himself yet?
- Can - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:54 am:
==not through tax increases but through reforms.==
Senator, I encourage you to read the CapFax post from Wednesday entitled “The tax hike made a huge difference.”
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:58 am:
Rauner refuses to take any responsibility for his governance, so the message is to always blame scapegoats. That’s why we see constant negative ads. Any message is clouded with, “I’m not in charge.”
Rauner had his chances to paint a positive picture, but he was literally attacking Madigan in TV ad(s) during last year’s critical budget negotiations. He can’t help himself—just like now, with all the negative ads.
- The Dude Abides - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:01 am:
When Rauner came in as a new Governor a lot of folks had a wait and see attitude and were willing to show some patience and give him a chance to show what he could do. What they got was a guy who was disingenuous and betrayed the trust people put in him time and time again. Rauner has yet to have an honest conversation with the people about the mistakes he has made, what he’s learned from them and what he would do differently if given a second term. If re elected I would expect more failure, he’s given us no reason to feel otherwise.
- Pundent - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:01 am:
=Do you think the governor can do that?=
No, not this governor. Rauner made it very clear that he had a vision. The problem is that he couldn’t convince others and instead of adapting or doing what was achievable he chose a different path. And today he has a 26% approval rating. More importantly he provides no reason to believe that the next four years would be any different. He’s stubbornly clung to his vision despite the fact that it’s been rejected. It’s impossible to cast the last four years as a success and Governor Rauner hasn’t offered any reason to believe that the next four years would be any different.
- wondering - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:03 am:
Barickman is whistling in the dark. 4 more years of what? Quinn was a better governor, got more done, than Rauner. Can that be denied? Electing Rauner was a knee jerk reaction to reality.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:03 am:
A likable, competent, persuasive person with conservative positions would have been, IMHO, more successful enacting some much needed reform legislation that Rauner muffed because he lacks the 3 items that began this comment.
- Jocko - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:05 am:
Isn’t this the same Sen. Barickman that was “grossly misinterpreted and misrepresented” by Rauner regarding SB1? Did he tell Jason what reforms he’s suggesting for his second term?
- Nacho - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:06 am:
Even if Rauner could pivot from trashing the state, it is hard to sell a positive vision when your record is one of consistent failure.
- Langhorne - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:07 am:
Jason, have you been awake the last 3 years? Rauner is incapable of learning, incapable of real collaboration. Something as basic as counting to 30 and 60 escapes him. Long on drivin’ transormative buzzword chains, zero results. Your squandered your opportunity.
- lakeside - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:07 am:
There is a world in which a governor who has done what Rauner’s done could say, “Listen, I thought that if I came in here and just pushed in a different direction hard enough, I could get the things I thought would help done. It didn’t work. Mike Madigan isn’t going away. So in my next term, I’m going to do whatever it takes, work with anyone to improve people’s lives and stabilize our pension problem.”
I almost couldn’t even finish typing that because there is no way Rauner can admit to himself that he singlehandedly caused such a massive breach in our already barely afloat boat, let alone hold himself accountable in front of us.
Boy have the last three years been a terrible experiment!
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:07 am:
The phony that is Mr. Barickman needs to answer for his own sins.
Why would Mr. Barickman vote to withhold full year state funding for state universities? What vision is that?
“I’m frustrated too, but taking steps to reform Illinois is more important than a short term budget stalemate”
That’s who Mr. Barickman is… as he voted time and time again to purposely hurt Illinois, and state universities, as he touts he teaches at one.
Pathetic.
Jason Barickman is what’s wrong with Raunerites.
Jason Barickman hurt his own district purposely for Bruce Rauner.
That’s who he is. Don’t let him fool you. How can you not feel for ISU when one who teaches there… starved the university for a whole General Assembly.
Now Mr. Barickman wants a discussion?
See to your OWN sins.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:10 am:
All the reform on the planet will not solve Illinois’ pension debt. It’s simply too large. Rauner’s refusal to compromise in a Democrat-controlled GA has been his greatest flaw. Could we expect anything different from him in the next four years? I think not.
Barickman may be a loyal GOP soldier, but he’s expecting change from a guy who refuses to change.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:10 am:
National Blue Wave is coming?
Q2 GDP up 4.1% vs. 4.4% est. Second-quarter GDP jumps 4.1% for best pace in nearly four years
2 Hours Ago | 03:06
Gross domestic product grew at a solid 4.1 percent pace in the second quarter, its best pace since 2014, boosting hopes that the economy is ready to break out of its decade-long slumber.
The number matched expectations from economists surveyed by Reuters and was boosted by a surge in consumer spending and business investment. Stock market futures edged lower on the news while government bond yields moved lower.
That’s the fastest rate of the growth since the 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2014 and the third-best growth rate since the Great Recession. In addition to the strong second quarter, the Commerce Department revised its first-quarter reading up from 2 percent to 2.2 percent.
“We’re on track to hit the highest annual growth rate in over 13 years,” President Donald Trump said in remarks an hour after the report hit. “And I will say this right now and I will say it strongly, as the deals come in one by one, we’re going to go a lot higher than these numbers, and these are great numbers.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/27/us-gdp-q2-2018.html
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:13 am:
Rauner can only think positively about Venice, his future home.
- Last Bull Moose - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:14 am:
No. The Governor has failed to articulate a vision that can gain bipartisan support. He does not know how to frame issues.
His bullying personality shows through the veneer. Bullies cannot build coalitions of the willing.
He lacks finesse. His attacks are frontal assaults. Illinois political reporting is like reading the casualty count from the Somme. Many dead for small gains. Had he praised the work of state employees, he could still have negotiated hard on the contract. Impasse would have been an unfortunate outcome, not a clearly desired goal and the product of bad faith negotiations.
His management skills are poor. DCFS became a haven for the Directors cronies from Florida. The IT upgrade was always going to be difficult. It seems worse than expected. The Quincy veteran deaths show how bad his team is.
- Fixer - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:16 am:
Three years of evidence clearly shows that no, he cannot.
- Anon0091 - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:17 am:
One candidate in this race has spent the last four years denigrating our state and offering nothing other than Illinois is a disaster and it’s all Mike Madigan’s fault. The other is JB, a guy with a very sunny disposition and a pretty clear vision for how to restore Illinois to greatness.
Glad to know Jason Barickman will be voting for JB.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:17 am:
–Rauner has yet to have an honest conversation with the people…–
Honesty is not in his DNA. He lies about matters large and small, every day, even when he doesn’t have to.
It’s well-documented by the public record and has been pointed out, often, by folks across the political spectrum who have dealt with him, one-on-one. His word cannot be trusted.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:18 am:
All the reform on the planet will not solve Illinois’ pension debt. It’s simply too large. Rauner’s refusal to compromise in a Democrat-controlled GA has been his greatest flaw. Could we expect anything different from him in the next four years? I think not.
You mean like Governor Rauner supporting Senator Cullerton’s bipartisan pension reform plan and the Speaker refusing to call the bill in the House?
- Anon221 - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:22 am:
Hard to lead a walk when the leader is always on a run.
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:51 am:
Hard to see that coming from the guy who was rightly tagged Governor Eeyore by the proprietor of this fine blog.
- PublicServant - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 10:59 am:
I’m waiting for the day that a Republican has the intestinal fortitude to use the word “cuts” instead of “reforms”. You want to cut? Fine. Lay them out. But OWN them.
- 13th - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 11:09 am:
no he can’t
but governor will tell people he can but will laugh before he speaks, and that tells it all
“Has the governor run a positive ad about himself yet?”he would again have to laugh before he started
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 11:14 am:
–All the reform on the planet will not solve Illinois’ pension debt.–
LOL, say whaaaaatttt? You’ve been babblin’ about just that point, ad nauseum, for years.
Dude, visit the shop for a tuneup already.
- Skeptic - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 11:21 am:
LP: As usual, there’s truth, and then there’s stuff you hear from the president*
https://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/ap-fact-check-trump-skews-claims-on-economy-gdp-growth/article_5bffaad1-dae8-57de-ad4b-0d211345005b.html
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 11:22 am:
===You mean like Governor Rauner supporting Senator Cullerton’s bipartisan pension reform plan and the Speaker refusing to call the bill in the House?===
For the 8,756th time.
Rauner had no 60 or 71.
If Rauner has that 60 or 71 to embarrass Madigan, he would’ve called on these 60/71 to the stairs and with a podium and microphones, Rauner could’ve said “here are the votes, call this bill”
Why didn’t Rauner?
For now, the 8757th time… there wasn’t the votes to get it to pass.
Your propaganda ignorance continues, as again, you are reminded about the real.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 11:24 am:
===“We’re on track to hit the highest annual growth rate in over 13 years,” President Donald Trump said in remarks an hour after the report hit. “And I will say this right now and I will say it strongly, as the deals come in one by one, we’re going to go a lot higher than these numbers, and these are great numbers.”===
Yeah, um, Rauner isn’t with Trump.
Good try.
- Not It - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 11:30 am:
Elections are referendums on incumbents. This incumbent has no record of success because he chose a path of division instead of addition. As such, all he can do is blame others for his inability to govern.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 11:30 am:
–All the reform on the planet will not solve Illinois’ pension debt.–
==LOL, say whaaaaatttt? You’ve been babblin’ about just that point, ad nauseum, for years.==
Word is right, that comment directly contradicts almost every single post from LP for the last three years. Whoever you are, stop posting with that name - it’s against Capfax rules to pose as another commenter, even if it is a bot account.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 12:06 pm:
The all the reform on the planet quote is Streator’s comment at 10:10 guys
You see how I respond to it?
It’s Friday relax a bit
- Anonymous - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 12:19 pm:
Lester take it up with Streator at 10:10
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 12:48 pm:
My goodness you’re correct - seems we got that one wrong. Makes much more sense coming from the curmudgeon, I was afraid some kind of ne’er-do-well had hijacked the LP brand. Thanks for pointing that out.
- RNUG - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 1:44 pm:
== Do you think the governor can do that? ==
He hasn’t managed to for 3.5 years …
- RNUG - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 1:48 pm:
== Rauner’s only vision is an Illinois without Madigan. ==
And without unions …
And without valued employees …
And without good government pensions …
And without welfare …
And without support networks …
And …
- RNUG - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 1:56 pm:
== Rauner is incapable of learning, incapable of real collaboration. ==
== His bullying personality shows through the veneer. ==
He seems to only understand buying companies and issuing orders. Too bad the voters didn’t realize this 4 years ago.