39 Comments - Twice shy - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:16 pm: Pritzker really got a bargain when he paid for Bailey. - Hot Taeks - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:17 pm: Pretty sensible reaction there from Durkin. Just all time dumb guy discourse on the internet and billboards leaking its way into the mainstream via one of the Gubernatorial candidates. The argument should not be given serious credence as doing so is to minimize the Holocaust. - Pundent - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:19 pm: Good for Durkin in doing this. Although there was a time when everyone, regardless of party affiliation, would condemn these comments. Durkin knows that his days of having influence over the ILGOP are behind him so there’s no downside in acknowledging the obvious. - fs - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:19 pm: Good on Durkin - Rahm's Parking Meter - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:19 pm: Okay, I work and am involved in the Jewish community, NO ONE THINKS THIS OKAY. Durkin and the party needs to seriously think about how bad this Bailey anchor is going to be for candidates up and down the ballot. - Big Dipper - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:23 pm: I suppose a statewide GOP candidate like DeVore who uses the term “window lickers” is not going to condemn this. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:24 pm: ==Durkin and the party needs to seriously think about how bad this Bailey anchor is going to be for candidates up and down the ballot. == They can think about it, but ultimately they’re just going to have to take they’s medicine. They can’t get rid of him. - May Soon Be Required - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:33 pm: Can it be November 9th already - Amalia - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:33 pm: Good for Durkin’s comment, but the entire party has these kinds of problems. their leader…Trump, as they don’t deny him….and his both sides commentary IN 2017 for the torch mob that looked like 1937 is almost 5 years on now. the blatant anti semitism that is around should be condemned at every turn, and those who say it should be as well. - Lurker - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:34 pm: Somewhat sad and disappointing that Bailey’s own comment was not the first comment. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:39 pm: If Durkin wanted to “bow out”, this is the time. - Pundent - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:40 pm: =Durkin and the party needs to seriously think about how bad this Bailey anchor is going to be for candidates up and down the ballot.= The time for doing that as passed. And it would only serve to disenfranchise the 57% or so that voted for Darren Bailey. In fact many of them would claim that our “overly sensitive nature” and “feelings” are the problem. And Bailey’s comments aren’t exactly a revelation. How do you condemn Darren Bailey when 57% of the ILGOP voters agree with him? This is Darren Bailey’s party now, not Jim Durkin’s. - Rudy’s teeth - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:42 pm: Frick and Frack, Dumb and Dumber, and my favorite—-the Putz Brothers. Heinie and Doofus Putz the candidates for governor and AG are quite the team. Says a lot about the GOP voters’ choice in the primary. What were they thinking? Waiting for the press interviews and Candidate Bailey’s response of “I don’t have to answer that.” - Baloneymous - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 1:44 pm: Good on Durkin, but I wish he would have done this several years ago when Rauner and Trump were doing harmful things or saying hateful things or outright lies. He knows Bailey is going to lose and that his days may be numbered. But I’m glad he’s finally publicly displaying his conscience. Now I wonder if Bailey supporters will call him a RINO. - G'Kar - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 2:14 pm: The “old guard” (for lack of a better term), allowed themselves to be bought by Rauner. Then they were too quiet and allowed the “Eastern Block”" to rise in influence. Now they have Beetle an Devore as major candidates with no realistic chance of winning in November. Maybe, just maybe, the old guard should now simple accept the defeat and instead publicly distance themselves from their own ticket–denounce loudly all the dumb things Devore and Beetle say and do. Perhaps it will allow the party to recover with some sanity. Or, at least the old guard can go down with some honor intact. I’m probably dreaming. - JS Mill - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 2:25 pm: I am waiting for the outrage from the religious leaders and sheriffs that stood on stage with Bailey from time to time. I am not, however, going to hold my breath. Pastor Brooks, are you listening? - MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 2:25 pm: Between its nominee for governor who minimized the Holocaust and its nominee for Congress who praised Hitler, I’m starting to suspect that the IL-GOP might have itself some kind of issue… – MrJM - Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 2:39 pm: Will Mazzochi, McCombie and Bourne be making statements too? I mean they are the queens of moral outrage on the House floor. - PublicServant - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 2:46 pm: Cue chastised Bailey apologizing /S - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 2:48 pm: ===Bourne=== Bourne is a lame duck already seemingly dismissed by Bailey Folks. Who actually would care, Bourne says she’s supports Bailey, so… - Demoralized - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 3:03 pm: ==This post will feature GOP responses to Sen. Darren Bailey’s comment== Crickets apparently? - MoralMinority - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 3:31 pm: One thing I’m sure of is that I wouldn’t accept a Mountain Dew from Darren. No telling what might be in it. - Billy Rubin - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 3:52 pm: Durkin saith: “The Holocaust was one of the worst atrocities in the history of humankind and any comments that minimize it have no place in our political discourse.” How illogical! If you view Western abortion as the single worst atrocity, then you have to say that it EVEN surpasses WW2 Jewish civilian deaths. But if you cannot do so, Jim Durkin, then you’re saying that THE Holocaust is not “one of the” but THE worst. Trips over his own tail when pandering, that dude does. - Skeptic - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 3:56 pm: “How do you condemn Darren Bailey when 57% of the ILGOP voters agree with him?” Ok, so you’re saying that it doesn’t matter how offensive or unfit a candidate is, if he has 57% support, you have to follow? - Fixer - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 3:59 pm: One. As of almost 4pm, one ILGOP member has condemned this. If that isn’t indicative of what this party now stands for, I don’t know what is. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:01 pm: To the update… ===In no way was I attempting to diminish the atrocities of the Holocaust and its stain on history. I meant to emphasize the tragedy of millions of babies being lost.=== So Bailey was elevating abortion by making the atrocities of the Holocaust seem… Yeah, it’s quite a response. Disgusting. Again. - Vote Quimby - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:06 pm: To the update…. “Ignore what I said about the Holocaust being insignificant compared to abortion. It’s the other way around. I mean abortion is bad, though. Real bad. Also, I hadn’t met any Jews until I started this campaign so I can’t be held responsible when I was blowing dog whistles to my district five years ago.” - bogey golfer - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:08 pm: Just keep talking Senator Bailey. That hole is getting deeper and deeper…… - walker - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:11 pm: Not the first time Jimmy D has publicly stood up to the anti semites and nazi sympathizers. And he supported Kasich over Trump. He’s in a tough spot, fighting for some traditional Republican values while many in that party trash them. - The Dude Abides - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:19 pm: For some time I’ve thought that Bailey was a poor candidate for the GOP. He’s even worse than I thought with his latest gaffe. Pretty weak attempt now to walk it back. This guy is way out there. Griffin made a mistake financing Irvin but he was smart enough not to waste money on Bailey. - New Day - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:21 pm: Evergreen Bailey comment: Darren, you can’t unsay the crazy, despicable stuff you said. Wash, rinse, repeat. - fs - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:22 pm: ==The Holocaust is a human tragedy without parallel== “Without parallel”…And yet, you chose to use it to not only make a direct comparison, but say that it’s not as bad as the thing you’re comparing it to. Even when he tries to backtrack, he trips over his own stupidity. - Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:33 pm: “The Holocaust is a human tragedy without parallel. In no way was I attempting to diminish..” Yet that is exactly what you did. You compared (paralleled) it to abortion, and then diminished it by saying abortion is worse. - Wensicia - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:34 pm: The silence by the ILGOP over this latest atrocity shows me they’re comfortable with the extremist misogynistic views held by most of the national GOP. Pleasing their base is all that’s important. Public anti-semitic comments regarding the Holocaust are becoming more common as well. - Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:38 pm: - I’m starting to suspect that the IL-GOP might have itself some kind of issue… - I’m honestly a little surprised at anyone being shocked by this. It isn’t a fringe viewpoint for the GOP base. - Thomas Paine - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 4:51 pm: That is not a “backtrack” CBS, he doubled down. Bailey not only refuses to apologize and admit what he said was wrong. He repeats his false, damaging, antisemetic comparison. “The Holocaust was unparalleled, but abortion is worse, just ask my Jewish friends.” - Darren Bailey Translator. - TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 5:40 pm: Poor Jim. He’s the only one in the ILGOP who bothered to respond so far - 4 hours later. - JS Mill - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 6:11 pm: Still waiting to here from our conservative religious leaders? Bishop Paprocki is usually pretty chatty on some of these issues but I am not hearing much? As Thomas Paine said, he didn’t back track, Bailey doubled down. - Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Aug 2, 22 @ 6:34 pm: - Still waiting to here from our conservative religious leaders? - Apparently we’re still waiting for anyone else in the IL GOP to comment. Guess they’re ok with the statement. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.