First, deal with the virus
Monday, Aug 24, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave McKinney at WBEZ…
“The policies of the Trump administration — bringing health care to a new generation and protecting our economy and jobs and taking on China and fighting for safe streets — those policies, I think, history will prove there were a lot of great things done,” said Brady, who is an at-large Trump delegate who is casting his vote for the president by proxy.
But the Senate GOP leader acknowledged that while the Trump brand is wildly popular downstate, it isn’t doing well in vote-rich suburban Chicago, a swath of once-reliable Republican territory now dominated by Democrats. With the exception of McHenry County, four of the five collar counties voted overwhelmingly against Trump in 2016.
“I think the suburban mindset has real trouble with some of the personality of Donald Trump, without looking at the policy,” he said.
Brady said he thinks the Illinois GOP’s political fortunes will be “more driven by local issues,” and there is plenty of fertile material from which to draw, starting with the federal bribery investigation into Commonwealth Edison’s bribery-tainted lobbying in Springfield.
If they want to break through in the suburbs, they’re probably gonna need more than just Madigan, although he is indeed a stronger issue right now because of ComEd. I mean, it’s not too difficult to see what the number one issue is right now. People are absolutely consumed day to day with the pandemic and what it has done - and continues to do - to their lives. Give suburban voters some hope.
And I think they have some folks who really get it. Rep. Mark Batinick, for instance, has been a leader on the face mask issue and was instrumental in convincing Gov. Pritzker to issue an executive order on masks way back in early May.
* But, of course, they also have suburban legislators like this…
And, no, he hasn’t yet dropped out.
* And they have Downstaters like this…
Rep. Miller (no relation) thankfully deleted that post, but not before others had sent it to me. I guess he must’ve spent too much time on the combine again. /s
* Related…
* With late summer cases stubbornly high, Illinois faces a ‘perfect storm’ of COVID-19 risk this fall, researcher says
- Demoralized - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:07 pm:
==has real trouble with some of the personality of Donald Trump, without looking at the policy==
For me it has everything to do with personality. How people can just “forgive” the way the man acts is beyond me. I’m embarassed by the way he acts on a daily basis. It’s an embarassment to the country.
- NIU Grad - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:09 pm:
“bringing health care to a new generation”
Did I miss that happening? Can someone send me some of that health care, please?
- Mongo - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:13 pm:
OMG, Skillicorn is my State Representative. He continually embarrasses me (that is hard to do).
- Big Jer - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:15 pm:
==I think the suburban mindset has real trouble with some of the personality of Donald Trump, without looking at the policy===
I have no use for the ILGOP, but the way to win over suburban voters is not by insulting their intelligence and claim the only issue suburban voters have with Trump is his personality.
There are plenty of voters (suburban and otherwise) that are not blinded by ideology and have serious issues with Trump’s and the GOP’s policies and ideas of government.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:20 pm:
=== “I think the suburban mindset has real trouble with some of the personality of Donald Trump, without looking at the policy,” he (Leader Brady) said.===
No.
The suburban mindset is rejecting an overt racist who alienates minorities.
Ignoring that “mindset” is why Raunerites embrace Trump downstate, as old, white, angry, rural is regional, and is not what the suburbs see leading…
… I’m not going to say that “ignore all the racist ways of the administration and how women are marginalized”.
Nope. I’m not going to be the one to say how that sounds… silly. Nope.
- Thomas Paine - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:25 pm:
What is it OW says? “Voters don’t do nuance well.”
It’s not so much they don’t do nuance well, more that most voters don’t do nuance at all.
In an election that the GOP chooses to define as a choice between Trump and Madigan, it is a choice between “A Republican who has killed 170,000 Americans and counting” and “A Democrat accused of using his power to get jobs for his friends.”
Meaning no disrespect, but according to historians, politicians using their influence to get jobs for their friends is a practice that supposedly goes back atleast as far as Andrew Jackson in this country. It is shocking to some still, morally repulsive to many perhaps, and might even in this case be illegal or perhaps not.
It’s a story line that would certainly have more impact if Madigan were accused of securing sweetheart jobs for friends with the Teamsters or AFSCME. The easiest story to tell people is one they already know, and “Democrats are in bed with Big Business” is a tough sell.
But even if you manage to sell it completely, compare the most potent GOP message imaginable to:
“Donald Trump is trying to kill us.”
Republicans hoping to separate themselves from Trump on the Pandemic, masks, etc can forget it.
Democrats hoping to separate themselves from Madigan are also fighting a losing battle.
The more you fight it, the faster you sink probably.
- Highland IL - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:26 pm:
Mr. Miller’s wife will be replacing Shimkus. That should be fun.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:31 pm:
=== What is it … says===
I lifted it from Rich. It’s not me.
Also, appreciate the Skillicorn Update.
If he doesn’t drop out, how can he pretend he couldn’t be beat?
I’m guessing between showings of “Red Dawn” and “Footloose”, Skillicorn should decide how this all ends.
The reality?
If we’re all friends and being honest?
Allowing the likes of Cabello, Skillicorn, the Eastern Bloc to dictate, at the times of their choosing, the narrative for Raunerites, and Dems, smartly, making the Eastern Bloc folks the face of the Raunerites, how can the rebirth of the GOP in Illinois begin when the loudest of the foolish are yelling and the Dems more than willing to make them the message for all?
- Roman - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:33 pm:
I’m really interested to see if the House Dem mail and cable ads in the ‘burbs attack the House GOP candidates on mask wearing. It would be ironic given Batinick’s early advocacy, but I keep hearing the polling data is showing some vulnerability for the GOP on this in suburban districts. It will get worse with a fall spike.
- Pundent - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:35 pm:
==has real trouble with some of the personality of Donald Trump, without looking at the policy==
So I guess the takeaway from Senator Brady’s remarks is character doesn’t matter.
- Norseman - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:48 pm:
=== … bringing health care to a new generation … ===
Besides being a line of baloney, Brady forgets the part about Trump’s failures, denials and lies leading to the death of a hundreds of thousands of the current generation.
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:49 pm:
Rich which is it? Thankfully he deleted post or thankfully he is no relation? Both?
- GregN - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 2:57 pm:
Shorter Brady:
Suburbanites are too smart to vote for 4 more years ofTrump.
- Abbey - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:11 pm:
Wearing shoes I winter will NOT prevent frostbite.
History will look back on Trump as a failed student of Franco.
- don the legend - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:12 pm:
==Masks Are Neither Effective Nor Safe: A Summary Of The Science==
You have GOT to be kidding me. The representative is beyond belief. A grass bowl if I ever saw one.
- ajjacksson - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:13 pm:
There are those of us who would like to rationally discuss opening up sooner. These kinds of ideas make it impossible to have serious discussion.
- OneMan - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:21 pm:
Suburbanite who identified as Republican virtually all of my adult life here Senator. Voted for you when you ran for Governor and we have met and chatted a couple of times.
Yep. not going to sugar coat it, I have a real problem with ‘the personality’. That is one of the multitudes of reasons I am not voting for him. But there are a host of policy reasons as well.
Think the immigration concept of ‘let’s make so unattractive once you get here.’ isn’t very humane of the US.
Think the tax cut should have been smaller and aimed at lower income tax brackets. No matter how often you mention the Laffer Curve doesn’t make it true.
Don’t get me started on nuclear arms policy (not a focus allowed here anyway).
Going to court to kill Obamacare whilst not having a replacement or anything in place seems a risk not worth taking.
Plenty of conservative judges you could appoint who have been out of law school for at least 20 years.
Messing with the post office whilst a pandemic is going on.
I could go on and on.
- LakeCo - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:24 pm:
==has real trouble with some of the personality of Donald Trump, without looking at the policy==
Nope, his “policies” are garbage, too.
= bringing health care to a new generation and protecting our economy and jobs=
Wait, is Brady commenting from another dimension? Because I’m pretty sure in this version of reality, tens of thousands of Americans are dying in a pandemic and the economy is in the toilet because of said pandemic. But glad to hear things are peachy in the Republican alt-universe…
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:27 pm:
“bringing health care to a new generation and protecting our economy and jobs and taking on China and fighting for safe streets”
Nice going, leader. Your party is in the dumps, so you lie like this and keep your party looking terrible to voters. Trump has no health plan, no coronavirus plan, hurt farmers with China tariffs and no plan for “safe streets” except for stoking hatred and giving signals of acceptance to racists and police brutality.
But the GOP base has an insatiable need to fear irrationally, and the party is feeding it with: “Democrats support looters and rioters and if you let them win white suburbia will be destroyed.”
- JS Mill - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:45 pm:
=bringing health care to a new generation and protecting our economy and jobs and taking on China and fighting for safe streets =
To be transparent, I have long been a Bill Brady detractor. He is not a person of character or truth and the statement above is a prime example.
He is too deep in the weeds to be embarrassed by lies like those above and it is sad that he is a part of the ILGOP that once had JRT as its leader.
- Frank talks - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 3:45 pm:
Tell us again about climate change? The suburbs love their open spaces, soccer moms read all the labels for non-GMO, clean water for the future etc etc etc there is so much that suburban moms are involved with and missing out on environmental issues and destroying the EPA is a huge hammer that can be thrown.
I sure it’s coming soon.
- don the legend - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 4:04 pm:
I am waiting for Senator Brady’s campaign pitch to the Chicago suburbs along the line of: “Vote for Donald Trump, he cares about your children’s future”.
That’ll ring true. After all just look at Trump’s policies. Right, Senator? /s
- Say It - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 4:12 pm:
Senator Brady couldn’t find the suburbs during his own race for Governor . . . . .hilarious to hear him pontificate about the burbs behalf of Trump. Biden crushes Trump in the Chi suburbs in 2020.
- Pundent - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 4:26 pm:
Frankly for Brady to say that the “suburban mindset” is not considering the President’s policies in their rejection is insulting. I’ve spent my adult life in the 14th and now 6th congressional districts. Two districts that were solidly Republican for decades. The voters in these areas are keenly aware of the President’s policies and the representatives who supported them. Brady couldn’t be any more out of touch with his comments.
- Rudy’s teeth f - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 4:28 pm:
To repeat from an earlier post—- A mask is like pants for your face.
- SouthSide Markie - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 4:58 pm:
== Rep. Miller (no relation) thankfully ==
Rich, you’re showing your age. You need to proofread better. You ended the paren in the wrong place. LOL
- Rich Miller - Monday, Aug 24, 20 @ 5:02 pm:
===You ended the paren in the wrong place===
I wondered if anyone would catch that. lol