Call and response (Updated)
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Fox News reports that the Illinois Republican Party is upset at the Obama Presidential Center’s “anti-racism” goals…
The Illinois Republican Party has blasted as “divisive” the hiring language the Obama Foundation is using for the Obama Presidential Center, arguing it shows the privately run project is using public land to advance a political agenda.
The Obama Foundation, which is developing the hotly debated center on Chicago’s South Side, recently advertised roughly 150 jobs at the facility, stating that successful applicants are expected to align with the foundation’s “anti-racism” goals.
“It’s an Illinois Democrat tradition to insert divisive, far-left policies into the lives of everyday Americans and to balk at the rule of law,” Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi told Fox News Digital.
“The Obama Center is no different. It is a recipient of taxpayer funds built on public lands and flouts ‘anti-racism’ hiring goals,” Salvi said. “But such employment practices sound discriminatory and unmoored from any assessment of merit.”
I asked the Democratic Party of Illinois for a response…
“It’s an Illinois Republican tradition to insert divisive, far-right policies into the lives of everyday Illinoisans and to balk at calling out racism.”
* Darren Bailey…
The Pritzker campaign sent a link to an MPEA report that estimated Fiscal Year 2025’s revenues from the hotel it owns (managed by Hyatt) to be about $102 million.
From Alex Gough at the Pritzker campaign…
Once again, Darren Bailey gets his wires crossed. The MPEA is a critical economic development arm for both the city and state, not some Trump-esque scam for personal profit. Governor Pritzker is proud to invest state dollars to provide good paying jobs that grow our economy.
On the other hand, it’s pretty interesting that Darren Bailey remained silent while his pal Donald Trump engaged in actual grift, selling out the American people to foreign governments that send the best gifts and abusing taxpayer dollars to spend the weekends in Palm Beach.
Discuss.
…Adding… Back in 2022, the Pritzker campaign flatly denied any existing ties to Hyatt…
The governor has no leadership or management role in Hyatt, nor does he own stock. […]
JB unequivocally is not the beneficiary of any trust that holds Hyatt stock-foreign or domestic, with CIBC as the Trustee or with any other Trustee. He has zero interest directly or as a beneficiary in any Hyatt stock.
- Roadrager - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 1:37 pm:
==It’s an Illinois Democrat tradition to insert divisive, far-left policies into the lives of everyday Americans==
Kathy, if being against racism makes one “far-left,” what does that mean you’ve got going on over there on the right?
- low level - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 1:38 pm:
“Crony capitalism” is the Trump Crime Family. Meanwhile, everyone wants to know if Beetle Bailey will live at the posh Hancock Building in downtown Chicago like he did last time.
Such a heckhole
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 1:41 pm:
Oh, I can’t wait to see what the Trump Library is gonna’ look like given that the State of Florida is gifting Trump prime real estate in downtown Miami for it.
- New Day - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 1:41 pm:
As has been reported repeatedly, JB divested from Hyatt many years ago (at least ten). But sure, Darren. Nice try.
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 1:53 pm:
Darren knows exactly what that 8.8M is for.
All he is doing is continuing his Chicago-bashing, but dressing it up in a way where it’s not nearly as obvious as before. He wants that money taken away from Chicago, it doesn’t matter how much more money it is generating for the state in return.
He didn’t change his stripes, he just pained over them in the hopes it would confuse enough people this time around.
- Big Dipper - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 1:53 pm:
Trump posts himself dressed as a king (and a pope) and Bailey thinks this is some kind of burn? Oh well, maybe his whole campaign won’t be based on the toilet again.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 1:55 pm:
Two more words- Socialist Farmer
- H-W - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 2:05 pm:
This perfectly illustrates just how out of touch with reality the ILGOP is today. They are living in a realm of “the Clintons and Obamas.” They want to continue litigating 20 years ago and ignore the real needs of Illinoisans today. Farmers especially do not need tariffs and bailouts. They need certainties and stabilities. Row crops don’t cotton to political promises.
- ChicagoVinny - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 2:16 pm:
AI slop quickly becoming part of the GOP brand.
- Rudy’s teeth - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 2:23 pm:
Time for Darren Bailey to give his campaign rhetoric a rest. Bailey slams Chicago at every opportunity yet he expects voters to cast a ballot for him.
Look in the mirror, Darren. That’s the problem.
- Matty - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 4:16 pm:
I’m partially glad we’re now living in the age of full transparency, in that “anti-racism” is a terrible thing in the eyes of the GOP. We knew this about them, so at least they’re opening embracing their isms.
- Siualum - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 4:31 pm:
I guess the IL GOP would prefer pro-racist goals to the Obama Foundation’s “anti-racist” goals.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 5:41 pm:
Bailey is a caricature of a joke.
He has no chance of being governor. I hope he thinks he does have a chance. That would be funny to me.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 7:00 pm:
===and flouts ‘anti-racism’ hiring goals,” Salvi said.===
I am getting nit picky here, but is she misusing the word flout here?
===JB unequivocally is not the beneficiary of any trust that holds Hyatt stock-foreign or domestic, with CIBC as the Trustee or with any other Trustee. He has zero interest directly or as a beneficiary in any Hyatt stock.===
I was about to make the joke that I don’t either, and then I realized that the mutual funds that I do own probably own Hyatt so that might not be true and while I have mutual funds and pay a little fee to Vanguard in order to provide those that the Governor probably has specific dedicated wealth managers and would be unlikely to own any mutual funds or exchange traded funds — because hopefully the Governor is not paying someone to manage his investments and also paying fees.
- low level - Tuesday, Jan 13, 26 @ 9:25 pm:
== Darren knows exactly what that 8.8M is for.==
Im not sure he does. You may be giving Beetle too much credit. He has always struck me as being dumb as rocks.