I’ve been reflecting, these past four weeks, on two important parts of my life: my work helping to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and the two times I’ve had the privilege of reciting the oath of office for Illinois Governor.
As some of you know, Skokie, Illinois once had one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors anywhere in the world. In 1978, Nazis decided they wanted to march there.
The leaders of that march knew that the images of Swastika clad young men goose stepping down a peaceful suburban street would terrorize the local Jewish population – so many of whom had never recovered from their time in German concentration camps.
The prospect of that march sparked a legal fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court. It was a Jewish lawyer from the ACLU who argued the case for the Nazis – contending that even the most hateful of speech was protected under the first amendment.
As an American and a Jew, I find it difficult to resolve my feelings around that Supreme Court case – but I am grateful that the prospect of Nazis marching in their streets spurred the survivors and other Skokie residents to act. They joined together to form the Holocaust Memorial Foundation and built the first Illinois Holocaust Museum in a storefront in 1981 – a small but important forerunner to the one I helped build thirty years later.
I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly. But I know the history intimately — and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the Holocaust. Here’s what I’ve learned – the root that tears apart your house’s foundation begins as a seed – a seed of distrust and hate and blame.
The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame.
I’m watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now. A president who watches a plane go down in the Potomac – and suggests — without facts or findings — that a diversity hire is responsible for the crash. Or the Missouri Attorney General who just sued Starbucks – arguing that consumers pay higher prices for their coffee because the baristas are too “female” and “nonwhite.” The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems.
I just have one question: What comes next? After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities – once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends – After that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next?
All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.
I swore the following oath on Abraham Lincoln’s bible: “I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the state of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Governor …. according to the best of my ability.”
My oath is to the Constitution of our state and of our country. We don’t have kings in America – and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one. I am not speaking up in service to my ambitions — but in deference to my obligations.
If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this:
It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.
Those Illinois Nazis did end up holding their march in 1978 – just not in Skokie. After all the blowback from the case, they decided to march in Chicago instead. Only twenty of them showed up. But 2000 people came to counter protest. The Chicago Tribune reported that day that the “rally sputtered to an unspectacular end after ten minutes.” It was Illinoisans who smothered those embers before they could burn into a flame.
Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the “tragic spirit of despair” overcome us when our country needs us the most.
- Northsider - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:27 pm:
Very well said. And spot-on.
- Dan Johnson - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:28 pm:
That is a hell of a speech.
Reminds me of another Governor’s speech after 1/6 calling it America’s Kristallnacht — Arnold Schwarzenegger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_P-0I6sAck
- Moe Berg - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:36 pm:
Bravo, Gov. Pritzker. Time to say it like it is.
The rest of the Democratic Party, especially the D.C. gerontocrats needs to wake up from their naps and follow suit, or get out of the way and let others who have the energy for the fight do it.
- Lincoln Lad - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:38 pm:
Thank you Governor for the clear thinking and necessary focus you provide. Well done.
- Jibba - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:40 pm:
How many times have I been proud to be an Illinoisan and have JB as governor? Too many to count.
- Kyle Hillman - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:40 pm:
“The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems.” — Some really strong stuff at a time when we need more people saying it.
- Donnie Elgin - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:44 pm:
Bravo, JB’s words echo “FIRST THEY CAME” – BY Pastor Martin NIEMÖLLER.
- Near Westside - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:45 pm:
I am grateful he is our governor
- Leslie K - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:51 pm:
Frightening, bold, and exceptionally well said. Excellent job, Governor.
- VK - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 12:58 pm:
Remarkable speech. Truly well done. Whoever wrote that needs a raise.
- Manchester - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:00 pm:
Very well said. Thank you Governor Pritzker. You make me proud to be from Illinois.
- Captain Obvious - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:02 pm:
Complete alarmist nonsense. Who knew cutting waste and worthless spending would cause Democrats to start calling us Nazis. I’d be mighty offended if I thought they understood history. Yes Jay Bob, you are overreacting. But what else are you going to do?
- Because I Said So…. - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:04 pm:
Possibly his best speech to date. Happy to have Pritzker at the helm.
- H-W - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:09 pm:
Amen.
- Ares - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:20 pm:
Note the Washington Post commentary by Leon Krauze today on how the Democratic leadership need to reclaim the narrative: “Mexico has lessons for Democrats trying to oppose [POTUS47]” Gov JB is following this advice.
- Two Left Feet - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:20 pm:
A Presidential speech. Well done.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:27 pm:
Excellent and absolutely accurate speech. Anyone that has read and can comprehend history knows he is absolutely correct and I applaud him for it.
=Complete alarmist nonsense.=
You obviously don’t read history. I will not try to explain it to you because you won’t see it anyway even though it is as plain as day.
Speaking as an Historian btw.
- Joe Schmoe - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:28 pm:
Full campaign mode….
- Steve Rogers - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:30 pm:
@Captain Obvious, did you actually read it or just skim quickly with a preconceived need to be a victim?
- Jerry - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:36 pm:
Thank you Gov Pritzker. Like ‘em or hate ‘em…the ACLU are True Conservatives.
- New Day - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:42 pm:
Never been prouder of JB than I am today. Said what needed to be said when it needed to be said. Yea, I expect those on the right to completely conflate calling Trump out on his rush to purge liberal democracy with cutting waste. What a load of hooey.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:49 pm:
==Who knew cutting waste and worthless spending would cause Democrats to start calling us Nazis.==
Way to tell everyone how much of the news you follow and where you get it from.
- JoanP - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:54 pm:
Once again, I am proud to have JB as our Governor.
- Ally - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:58 pm:
Ironic timing, as the White House declared Trump king on Twitter earlier today.
- Kristen - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 1:59 pm:
A lot of Americans are tolerant of Trump’s ways of governing because of his popular positions on culture war issues. Democratic leaders need to recognize the severe intolerance of the far left combined with extremely out of touch policy positions that are causing Americans to view Trump as the lesser of two evils. The Dem Party needs to start cleaning the house internally AND pushing back on Trump. The Gov’s speech was terrific on criticizing Trump but was less effective because it failed to address the real problems the far left has created.
- Disagree - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:06 pm:
Pritzker is doubling down on a failed message.
The Democrats called Trump/Vance fascists and dictators all throughout the 2024 campaign and lost the election.
Pritzker may be attuned to our blue state electorate, but on November 5, 2024 Illinois was surrounded by red states on all sides.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:11 pm:
===Pritzker is doubling down on a failed message.===
Um
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1892295984928993698
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:22 pm:
==The Democrats called Trump/Vance fascists and dictators all throughout the 2024 campaign and lost the election.==
I think attacking Trump on economic issues is stronger, but there’s all kinds of voters who want to hear all kinds of messages. Making the people who are afraid of democratic backsliding feel seen is fine.
==Pritzker may be attuned to our blue state electorate, but on November 5, 2024 Illinois was surrounded by red states on all sides.==
So, what, you think the Governor of Illinois should spend more time talking about the things Missouri wants?
- @misterjayem - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:23 pm:
“Who knew cutting waste and worthless spending would cause Democrats to start calling us Nazis.”
Musk’s repeated Nazi salutes may have played a role.
Or are you still pretending that those were the product of some kind of Dr. Strangelove spasm?
– MrJM
- cover - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:27 pm:
Thanks for the link, Rich, but I absolutely refuse to click on a Musk-owned website.
- SAW - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:35 pm:
@Kristen - what are the “real problems the far left has created” and why would JB use this speech to cast blame on the “far left”? I see no reason to invoke a boogeyman while we are staring a very real threat in the face.
- We've never had one before - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:35 pm:
I’m not going to be a pawn in anyone’s proxy war, and I hate Illinois Nazis.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:38 pm:
==A lot of Americans are tolerant of Trump’s ways of governing because of his popular positions on culture war issues.==
Maybe, but the winning number of voters voted for Trump bc Dems presided over the highest inflation in decades. Can’t blame trans kids for that!
- Keyrock - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:40 pm:
Thank you, Governor, for rising to the occasion.
- supplied_demand - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 2:57 pm:
==would cause Democrats to start calling us Nazis.==
No need to single out Democrats, the current VP, himself, referred to Trump as America’s Hitler.
- BE - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 3:07 pm:
==A lot of Americans are tolerant of Trump’s ways of governing because of his popular positions on culture war issues.==
Which popular positions of his do you (or people in favor in Trump) tolerate the most? The racism, the sexism, the sexual assaulting, the autocracy, the falsehoods, the bigotry, the ignorance, the anti-science, the religious cherry picking, the grifting, the idea that some people are disposable property based on gender or skin color?
- 312Lawyer - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 4:09 pm:
I truly hope JB doesn’t waste his money on this failed message. Plenty of better activities to spend his billions.
- slow down - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 4:30 pm:
312Lawyer, some messages have to be said, and said loudly, regardless of how we think they play politically. It’s a time to stand up and be counted and I’m grateful we have a Governor who is doing just that.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 4:35 pm:
Some of y’all clearly either missed or are deliberately forgetting the *Republican* poll that was posted yesterday https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/18/poll-unsurprisingly-finds-trumpmusk-and-their-actions-unpopular-in-illinois-except-for-a-close-division-on-immigration/
- Just Lurking - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 4:47 pm:
This was an excellent speech. I’m glad our governor doesn’t have his head buried like many Democratic politicians.
- It's Just a Pill - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 4:54 pm:
If calling out fascism is the “wrong message”, what’s your definition of the right message?
- 312Lawyer - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 4:58 pm:
Rich,
What does an Illinois-only poll have to do with a presidential campaign speech? Everybody with a pulse understands what he is trying to do: position himself as the #Resistance leader and try to own that lane for the primaries.
We aren’t deliberately ignoring the results. We are questioning the broader strategy OUTSIDE of these borders.
- Allknowingmasterofraccoondom - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 5:02 pm:
I like our Gov.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 5:02 pm:
===presidential campaign speech===
It’s a state of the state address. You wanna argue national politics, go to Twitter.
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 5:35 pm:
==would cause Democrats to start calling us Nazis.==
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) said “Hitler was right.” So there’s that too.
- PoliticsD - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 6:06 pm:
Took more than a glass of water to stop the Nazis. Just sayin. Had he not taken analogy to Nazi Germany and kept it at the Illinois Nazis would have been better.
- Vic Herschschmidt - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 6:15 pm:
Our forever governor.
- Heartburn - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 7:43 pm:
you can tell when people have no convictions themselves. they just can’t possibly believe someone would say what they believe and not solely for self promotion or higher ambitions.
- Inexplicable - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 7:48 pm:
Illinois is an outlier compared to a majority of states. Of course, there are Minnesotans who like Tim Walz.
- Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 7:55 pm:
==Who knew cutting waste and worthless spending would cause Democrats to start calling us Nazis.==
Are you paying attention to how the cuts are being made? There is no case being made that any waste or worthless spending is being cut. Elon is simply cutting things he can, regardless of the value. He (Elon) is also cutting things he does not value. If these were truly legit cuts, he could present his findings to Congress and they would seek additional input, debate, and affirm. None of that is happening.
Trump is acting like a dictator (ignoring the legislative and judicial branches and the Constitution) and his whole administration praises dictators and runs interference for them.
JB is calling it like it is. If it looks like a dictator and acts like a dictator, guess what?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 8:08 pm:
Inexplicable, pick one name and stick with it, otherwise you’re gonna be deleted.
- ZC - Wednesday, Feb 19, 25 @ 9:10 pm:
>> He (Elon) is also cutting things he does not value.
There’s a bit of poli sci research here already (set aside the progressive echo chamber, a lot of the best social scientists are now posting on Bluesky):
https://bsky.app/profile/adambonica.bsky.social/post/3lil7yl2jvk26
Some observational data that it’s the agencies with the greatest perceived “liberal” lean that are getting disproportionate cuts, regardless of any cost savings to be had.
- Justin - Thursday, Feb 20, 25 @ 12:00 am:
This makes me glad we have Pritzker as our governor.