* The Tribune’s Rick Pearson…
Bailey, appearing before the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsement session of Illinois candidates for governor, also said he wanted to “clarify” comments he’s made previously about former President Donald Trump. While he welcomed Trump’s pre-primary endorsement and had previously said there was “no” daylight between him and Trump, Bailey said he was speaking of a bustling economy under the Republican former chief executive’s leadership.
“Honored to have his endorsement, obviously, but he’s not on the ballot. I’m on the ballot,” Bailey said, adding that Illinois was his “focus.”
Asked if the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol has shown Trump’s culpability in the insurrection, Bailey said, “I’m not educated enough or informed enough to give you an answer on that.”
“I am 150% ingrained in Illinois. That’s Washington. That’s national politics,” said Bailey, who said the constitutional transition from Trump “was followed” and Democrat Joe Biden “is president.”
* Crain’s on today’s Illinois Associated Press Media Association Editors forum…
“I am always open to working with people who are rational and reasonable with their proposals,” the governor added [about Sen. Scott Bennett’s proposed SAFE-T Act changes].
Meanwhile, Bailey latched on to crime, the biggest theme of his campaign, early and often, noting, “law and order is out of control,” and continued to beat the drum later.
And when given his own chance to address the SAFE-T act, Bailey said, “Sometimes, I can’t figure out if our governor’s a fool or a liar but he’s trying to dupe us… he intends to let criminals out of jail.”
Touting the endorsement of various police groups, Bailey said the act should be repealed but added if he were to win the election, he’d call a special session to make necessary changes to the law.
* WBEZ also interviewed Bailey…
And Bailey moved to repeal the Reproductive Health Act of 2019 — the subject of his tense late-night exchange with the law’s lead House architect, Rep. Cassidy.
At one point during that hearing, Cassidy dramatically recounted her own emergency abortion in 2000 as Bailey pressed her on how many abortions in Illinois were the result of medical emergencies.
Bailey didn’t acknowledge Cassidy’s ordeal that night, and today she still remembers how “dismissive” that felt. […]
Bailey recalls their exchange, too. He disputes that the procedure Cassidy underwent truly represented an abortion because of its emergency, life-saving nature but said he remains “against what Kelly Cassidy stands for” on the issue.
Bailey said he hopes, despite their legislative clashes, he and Cassidy — and, more broadly, Democrats in general — can collaborate to fix the state’s problems if he is governor.
“I respect Kelly Cassidy. I know she respects me,” he said. “I look forward to working with legislators, whatever their background is, whatever their beliefs are….We’re going to stay on point fixing the things that truly matter to the people of Illinois.”
* Rich asked Rep. Cassidy if she does, indeed, respect Sen. Bailey…
Anyone who knows me knows my ability and willingness to engage across the aisle and build genuine relationships with my Republican colleagues. And when he first came to Springfield, I had some hope that Darren Bailey and I could also build a relationship. But that means sincerely acknowledging each other’s humanity.
There are very few people in Springfield I don’t interact with, but someone who has the audacity to ignorantly declare that he knows better than my doctor and I do about an incredibly painful period in my life brings to mind the old saying “when someone shows you who they are, believe them.” Add on his cartoonish embrace of anti scientific nonsense in an effort to raise his profile during a deadly pandemic that quite literally cost people their lives, and he’s not someone to be taken seriously. Period.
…Adding… The Bailey campaign pointed to this photo, taken after their 2019 row, to dispute Cassidy’s account…
Representative Kelly Cassidy stopped me in the hall to introduce newly seated Representative Yoni Pizer.
They are both…
Posted by Darren Bailey for Governor on Tuesday, February 18, 2020
- don the legend - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 1:50 pm:
=There are very few people in Springfield I don’t interact with, but someone who has the audacity to ignorantly declare that he knows better than my doctor and I do about an incredibly painful period in my life brings to mind the old saying “when someone shows you who they are, believe them.” Add on his cartoonish embrace of anti scientific nonsense in an effort to raise his profile during a deadly pandemic that quite literally cost people their lives, and he’s not someone to be taken seriously. Period.=
This is a perfect campaign commercial script.
- WestBurbs - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:18 pm:
Love Cassidy’s response. Spot on.
- vern - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:20 pm:
Gonna go ahead and file that Cassidy answer under “doesn’t respect him.” Which is fair, given that he wants to micromanage her medical treatment and annul her marriage.
In general though, I’m disappointed that he got through something of a media tour without being asked about the Bob Jones curriculum. If he’s “not educated” enough to talk about last year’s attempt to overthrow the government, how is he “educated enough” to teach children that paleontology isn’t real?
- James R. Anderson - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:20 pm:
>>Bailey said, “I’m not educated enough or informed enough to give you an answer on that.”
- Amalia - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:22 pm:
“I’m not educated enough or informed enough to give you an answer on that.” Then Bailey, you are not educated or informed enough to be Governor. Full Stop.
- New Day - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:26 pm:
“I respect Kelly Cassidy. I know she respects me,”
Umm, not so much.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:26 pm:
“but he’s not on the ballot”
He is on the ballot because of the endorsement. Want to get past TFG? Cancel him via censure, like the GOP did to Kinzinger and Cheney.
- Benjamin - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:37 pm:
==law and order is out of control==
That’s either quite the self-own from Bailey or a bold statement of solidarity with police reform groups.
- Cubs in '16 - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 2:59 pm:
===The Bailey campaign pointed to this photo===
Well, there you have it. A selfie is undeniable proof of respect. Cassidy is clearly misrepresenting their relationship. /s
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:00 pm:
–The Bailey campaign pointed to this photo, taken after their 2019 row, to dispute Cassidy’s account…–
This guy really does have the worst campaign staff I’ve ever seen.
Here’s a photo from before the pandemic, to dispute what you said about his behavior in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.
- AlfondoGonz - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:03 pm:
Bailey should run with the “Kelly Cassidy respects me” issue. It’s a winner /sarc
- Steve Rogers - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:04 pm:
There’s a line from the movie Rudy in which Coach Parseghian tells Jamie O’Hara: “You just summed up your entire sorry career here in one sentence!”
That’s what I thought of when Bailey said “I’m not educated enough or informed enough”
- sal-says - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:09 pm:
Beetle. A stroke is a stroke.
When someone shows you, believe them. Nuff said.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:10 pm:
==”he intends to let criminals out of jail”==
Innocent until proven guilty. The SAFE-T Act issue is about releasing the accused, not the guilty.
==“I’m not educated enough or informed enough to give you an answer on that.” ==
That sums up Bailey in a nutshell. It should be the basis of the next JB ad. (It would also seem to be something graduates of his school would say.)
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:44 pm:
This cat no more believes Biden won than I believe it was stolen.
At least have the minerals to say it publicly.
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:54 pm:
To the update: He could have introduced them to his imaginary Rabbi friend.
- XonXoff - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 4:25 pm:
To the update: There’s been a lot of water pass under the bridge since 2019.
- XonXoff - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 4:31 pm:
== I am 150% ingrained in Illinois. ==
Pet peave of mine… what I get from this is he’s exaggerating by 50%, possibly more.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 4:33 pm:
“I’m not educated enough or informed enough to give you an answer on that.”
If Bailey had watched the Jan. 6 Committee hearings on TV, he would be informed enough on that to give an answer. But something tells me his refusal to watch (or believe) shows he is not capable of changing his mind when confronted with the unpleasant facts.
- MisterJayEm - Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 5:15 pm:
“The Bailey campaign pointed to this photo, taken after their 2019 row, to dispute Cassidy’s account…”
Sen. Bailey would have us read that photo as a indicator of Rep. Cassidy’s “respect” for him, but it appears to me to be a demonstration the civility and grace that some women can bestow even upon men who merit their contempt.
When asked her view of Sen. Bailey, Rep. Cassidy said “he’s not someone to be taken seriously. Period.” And when my choice is between what a man thinks a woman thinks and what that woman thinks she thinks, I tend to believe her.
But I’m not implying that Rep. Cassidy is being insincere in that photograph. The civility and grace Rep. Cassidy exhibits in it towards Sen. Bailey are 100% real — but they are a kindness wholly unearned. They are a gift freely given to a man who’s never done anything to deserve them.
And I don’t mean to imply that such acts of gratuitous civility are unique to Rep. Cassidy. Most of the successful women whom I know have this capacity. They need to. If they spent their days settling scores and treating every jerk like a jerk, they wouldn’t get anything else done. There are simply too many jerks.
(The ability to remain civil with egregiously uncivil people is a trait that I admire very much — in no small part because I lack it myself.)
So I hope that Sen. Bailey take another look at that photo — and this time try to see it through eyes other than his own.
– MrJM