Unforced error by BPIA™
Thursday, Jun 6, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about some of this yesterday…
State Sen. STEVE McCLURE, R-Springfield, was among a handful of Republicans who went to the governor’s Statehouse office following the end of the legislative session Sunday, but things got unexpectedly uncomfortable.
Someone on the governor’s staff had called, he said, with the message: “The governor wants to have a press conference right now about Scott’s Law. Would you be available for that?” […]
But it turned out the news conference, where most lawmakers in attendance were Democrats, highlighted many things Republicans had opposed. A sign on the rostrum said, “Governor JB PRITZKER: Keeping Promises, Delivering Results,” and among items with check marks next to them were “Fair Tax,” ”$15 Minimum Wage” and “Reproductive Health Act.”
McClure and Sen. Jason Plummer both discreetly walked out.
* Back to Bernie…
“I’m going to give the governor the benefit of the doubt and say it was a staffer who didn’t really know” about the news conference subject matter, McClure said of his invitation, “because they’ve never lied to me on anything before, and I pretty much have a good working relationship with the governor and his staff.”
Similarly, Plummer said he is “going to operate under the assumption that maybe they had some miscommunication on their team, and it was an innocent mistake.”
The governor called Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady later and apologized. Brady’s people told me he was OK with the governor’s explanation. But it was a really dumb staff mistake.
- Perrid - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:30 pm:
Good on McClure and Plummer, as well as the Guv for the mea culpa.
- Da Lobsta - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:31 pm:
Nothing says bipartisan victory like rubbing their noses in all their partisan defeats.
- SSL - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:32 pm:
Mistakes happen. No one overreacted. It’s a miracle.
- Bourbon Street - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:32 pm:
=really dumb staff mistake=
Absolutely true. Have to give everyone credit for handling it in a classy manner.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:37 pm:
This is what I worry about.
Y’all need to come to terms;
Your word, in all you ask of legislators, either party, is based in good faith. Honest mistakes happen, but you can’t have things like this become a pattern, and you need to show ALL that this type of poor mistake by staff isn’t a normal practice, and what y’all say, is what something is.
If y’all choose to blow this off… that would be *almost* as big of a boo-boo as what went down.
Oh… you apologized already, so don’t give me it wasn’t anything. You don’t apologize for no reason.
Be sharp. Be honest. Be forthcoming. Make what you say meaningful to your honesty.
Don’t take this as a blip mistake. Teach.
- Colin O'Scopy - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:39 pm:
Can someone help me with the four letter acronym? What is BPIA?
- thunderspirit - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:44 pm:
I am hopeful this was in fact a mistake and nothing more.
The reaction of the Republican legislators suggest that it was. But I’m with Oswego Willy here: this is your one mulligan. Teach your team to check and then double check.
- Birdseed - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:47 pm:
What is BPIA?
Best Paid in America
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:49 pm:
Can’t compare to Rauner’s “…as a white male…”
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:52 pm:
“Best Paid in America” And here I thought it was “Best Paper In America” that fits in to a square at the center of a … something something something.
- Toilet LLC - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:52 pm:
Was it one of Pritzker’s numerous well-paid Deputy Governors who erred?
- Cubs in '16 - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:53 pm:
I get why this is bad but as someone who lives outside of the political bubble, it’s also kind of funny.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:55 pm:
Scott’s Law is important. But it seems kind of funny someone on staff that it would be singled out at that time, given everything else that had gone down.
I mean, they were making signs for the show.
- oh well... - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 1:59 pm:
Hopefully MK doesn’t want a staff purge after this.
- nadia - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 2:46 pm:
Dumb mistake. Seems as though someone who understands these types of things, including the Governor, could of had the non-bipartisan stuff taken down once it was seen.
- Nick Name - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 2:52 pm:
===What is BPIA?
Best Paid in America===
I’m still uncomfortable with Pritzker paying staff out of his own pocket, but I’ll still take it over BTIA(tm)
- SAP - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 3:00 pm:
Dumb mistake, but it does illustrate how far we have come regarding level of trust to where legislators take the Governor at his word.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 3:04 pm:
==The governor called Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady later and apologized==
Did Rauner ever once do this, for either Cullerton or Madigan?
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 6, 19 @ 3:33 pm:
Holy Cow… we have a governor that knows how to apologize and reach across the aisle.