* Three of the Republican gubernatorial candidates debated on Fox 32 last night. At the 39:39 mark…
Q: You will likely be working with majority Democrats who don’t want to get rid of these sanctuary protections. How do you bring some of them over to your side?
Ted Dabrowski: Well, listen, I think on day one we stop what’s going on here. We need an emergency order. We got the direction of how to do it from Governor Pritzker. He had an emergency order. Emergency Order for three and a half years during COVID.
We’re going to do the same thing for crime and for illegal immigrant crimes. We’re going to work. We’re going to work to get rid of the SAFE-T Act. We’re going to work to get rid of the sanctuary state, and we’re going to for safety. We get all 102, sorry, should say 100 state’s attorneys from all the counties. Get them all together. We’re going to attack the CDL issue, where we’re handing out the licenses to, we have huge problems. Let’s unite everybody who wants to take on the legislature, and we do it because..
Q: That’s executive action.
Dabrowski: Executive action. We’re going to do it. We’re going to fight like crazy, because the people deserve it in Illinois.
The governor’s emergency orders were upheld by the courts time and time again because of longstanding state public health laws and solid judicial precedent. I don’t think there are provisions in statute or in the Constitution to declare the sort of emergencies described by Dabrowski above.
* Meanwhile, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick snapped at Dabrowski for interrupting him. Click here.
* Rick Heidner brought up Wirepoints’ shaky finances during the debate…
My business, I was up 19 percent just in January from a year ago, one of my businesses. All right, you know, Ted wants to talk about business. I looked up his Wirepoints, and you know, he’s is 74% down in business since 2020 and 57%, his expenses are higher.
More on that here.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
* We already talked about how Heidner basically admitted he contributed $25,000 to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign fund to get access to the mayor about some business matters. He also gave money to Speaker Madigan and Kim Foxx. Paris Schutz pressed him on it. His response…
Well, I’m a businessman in Illinois. I’ve been a businessman in Illinois for almost 50 years. And, you know, I work with both sides of the aisle. I always have, you know, you talk about Brandon Johnson, you know, I gave $100,000 to Paul Vallas, and you know, Paul didn’t win. And then someone reached out to me, a very good friend, and said, ‘Rick, you know, I’m trying to help him retire his debt. Would you be interested?’ It was a difficult decision for me to make, but my good friend asked me if I would help. So I did. And, you know, I went to a function where he was at and and I did have things that I wanted to talk to him about Chicago. I’ve got about 30 buildings in Chicago. I obviously would like to bring gaming to Chicago, which now, obviously it’s finally come in. Worked on that for 12 years. But, you know, I’ve always worked with both sides. I’ll always be able to work with both sides.
I’m very well respected by the Democrats and very well respected by the Republicans. And I think it’s a huge asset, you know, by other people here who think that if you ever work with a Democrat, well, good luck being the governor and not working with Democrats. So, you know, they have the majority, and I’m going to have an open door policy, and they can’t wait to come in and talk to me, to be honest with you, and there was, I’ve talked to many of them since I’ve gone to run, and they’ve actually called me and thanked me for running.
Ted…
Dabrowski: Let me be clear, a Republican candidate, a conservative Republican candidate, can’t be giving money to Brandon Johnson and Kim Foxx, right? These are people who hate police. They’re decarcerationist. You can’t imagine somebody giving to them. So that’s that’s a big deal.
And then the gaming industry is also very tough industry too, right? It preys on the on the working class. You don’t see gaming halls in in Glencoe and Winnetka, you see them in a lot of poor places. So we have to really talk about the gaming industry.
Heidner: Well, let’s talk about it. It’s legal. Okay? I got in it, I was in the amusement business since 1970…
Dabrowski: It’s legal, but maybe we should have a referendum on it, though. Maybe we should take it to the people, because it’s it’s a tough issue.
Heidner: Then go ahead and do that, and you can lose another billion dollars a year for this state.
* Heidner also told a story about what happened after he was accused of having mob ties (which were never proved) and his racino project was yanked by the state….
If you want to talk about gangsters sometimes, we could talk about what bankers can do to you. I mean, look what just happened to President Trump. Just didn’t one of the banks just come out and say, ‘Yeah, we did this to you because of politics?’ I mean, I know what happened to me when I was attacked, falsely attacked. Completely vindicated. My banks canceled my loans. My bank canceled my loan for for Gold Rush. $140 million loan. Called it. I went from 3% to 13 and a half percent, 13 and a quarter percent. My credit cards got canceled. You know, I had Eric Trump at my house for a fundraiser, and, you know, I told him the whole story, and had my family in the library, and we spent 35-40 minutes there. And when we were done with the whole function, before he left, he looked at me and he said, ‘Rick, sue everybody. Sue everybody.’
* I’m pretty sure that Darren Bailey won that debate by not showing up. How do I know? Check out this (partially redacted) since-deleted tweet from the pointy wires founder last night…
Flop sweat.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 9:40 am:
Mark Glennon stomping his feet and holding his breath like a 3 year old. Yep, that fits.
- Sox Fan - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 9:41 am:
“I’m very well respected by the Democrats”
Kudos for the honesty. Too bad it probably just cost him any chance in the primary.
- RNUG - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 9:43 am:
== I don’t think there are provisions in statute … ==
If you can declare gun violence a public health emergency as some have tried / done, then you can try to declare any criminal violence a public health emergency.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 9:52 am:
Heidner gave money to Kim Foxx????? (multiple banned punctuations) Wow. That is a demerit is some Democratic circles. Plays weirdly in R land.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 9:54 am:
When has a public health emergency declaration been made in Illinois? And by whom? Tried? Discussed? Sure. Done? Not in my lifetime.
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 9:57 am:
I just can’t believe there is a group of people that can make Darren Bailey seem normal and somewhat palatable. But here they are.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 9:58 am:
===If you can declare gun violence a public health emergency as some have tried / done===
Um, when and where was that done? And how was it any more than rhetoric?
- H-W - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:01 am:
I pulled a Republican ballot last week so I could vote for Dabrowski. Him against Prizker would be much more fun than Bailey. I also did so since I am in a largely Republican region, and wanted to be able to influence local elections regarding the Republican party (against M. Miller, against local sheriff, against N. Hammond, etc.).
But I really hope Dabrowski gets through. Not a change, but still a hope.
- don the legend - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:09 am:
==They’re decarcerationist.==
Does Tad have a GOP dictionary unique from Webster’s?
- Jibba - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:13 am:
===I’ve talked to many of them since I’ve gone to run, and they’ve actually called me and thanked me for running.===
Did they have tears in their eyes when they said it? This shtick got old 10 years ago. Get some new material.
- JR - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:14 am:
Me: Goes to Google to look up “decarcerationist.” Yup, a 1960s word. Got it.
- Nelson for Rock & Roll HOF - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:15 am:
Governor Pritzker did so.
https://www.illinois.gov/news/release.html?releaseid=24090
- 48th Ward Heel - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:23 am:
==CHICAGO – Joined by legislators, stakeholders, and community leaders, Governor JB Pritzker today declared gun violence a public health crisis and announced support for a $250 million state investment over the next three years to implement the Reimagine Public Safety plan, a data-driven and community-based violence prevention initiative.==
This is a state of emergency that allows him to suspend existing laws?
- Norseman - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:24 am:
Equating an emergency order to address a deadly communicable disease is far different from the ridiculous ideas thrown out here. Violence has been rightly described as a public health issue and has been considered that for over a decade. However, no emergency orders were issued.
- King Louis XVI - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:32 am:
… and Tad thinks he’s the ‘moderate’ to whom moderates will flock over Bailey. In fact, Bailey 2.0 is the one sending those ‘moderate’ vibes.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:45 am:
Dabrowski is a gift to Pritzker.
- Think Again - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 10:57 am:
=I pulled a Republican ballot last week so I could vote=
Welcome to the party
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:03 am:
“Ted announces he doesn’t want to win”
Fixed it for ya.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:06 am:
=== you can try to declare any criminal violence a public health emergency. ===
By all means, please do.
Democrats have been begging to reframe gun violence as a public health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue, for a long time.
Republicans hate the idea so much that one of the first things Trump did was block National Institute of Health studies on gun violence.
Throw me in that briar patch, please, Tad!
When we get there, keep in mind:
1) The SAFE-T act allows judges to hold violent crime suspects without bail. Any suspension of the SAFE-T act would allow those same violent criminals out.
2) Executive orders do not repeal or override existing law, as Trump had found out the hard way, time and again. So any executive order trying to repeal the SAFE-T act is doomed.
I thought Tad Dabrowski was supposed to be the “serious alternative” to Darren Bailey. Instead what Tad’s proposing makes Tad sound like the love child of Tom DeVore and Dan Proft.
Tad’s legal theory on Executive Orders sounds straight out of DeVore, and Tad’s rhetoric channels Proft, except not even Proft uses the stupid made-up word “decarcerationist,” which literally means “person who wants to reduce the prison population” which I think is almost everyone. The only debate is how we get there, Tad.
- Mark Glennon - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:07 am:
== The governor’s emergency orders were upheld by the courts time and time again because of longstanding state public health laws and solid judicial precedent.== What about the 18 emergency orders Pritzker issued for illegal migrants?
- H-W - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:08 am:
@ Think Again
Right. I have done so in the past as well. I do tend to get a lot of mailers from both parties depending on which ballot I pull each March.
On the other hand, I am pretty sure the locals here in West Central, IL know I am a “radical, leftist, Marxist-Socialist, feminist, race-conscious freak.” At least, that’s what I tell my students each semester at the beginning of classes. For some reason, many of them comment at the end of the semester on evaluations that I am not as radicals as I pretend to be.
Must be the moderates saying so.
- Jack in Chatham - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:11 am:
Illinois has an Epidemic of Alcoholism. That is the violence problem.
- Juice - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:13 am:
Is policy wank Ted really that convinced that his more libertarian positions at the IPI and Wirepoints are that much of a political liability?
Last week he comes out against the Governor’s housing proposal to position himself as a strong advocate for NIMBYism.
Then he proposes shutting down legalized video gaming? (Ignoring that local governments have the ability to prohibit it within their jurisdiction).
And to top that off he believes he would have the authority, and is proposing to impose martial law to confront the issue of drunk driving (since the tragedy he has repeatedly highlighted was a drunk driving accident, as opposed to a shooting.)
Some big ideas for freedom here.
- Give Us Barabbas - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:19 am:
The crime statistics have been going down every year, and cashless bail has not proven the disaster these jabronies keep saying it is. It’s always been a racist dog whistle. You would think they would adapt and pick a different approach to the voters but they are like a cover band that only plays the oldie hits and no deep cuts. Neither they nor their fans have the imagination for something better.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:35 am:
===Governor Pritzker did so.===
Your own link shows that he declared it a “crisis.”
Either up your game or go back to Facebook.
- Roadrager - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 11:45 am:
Saw some of the debate last night, and while the biggest thing to note was Bailey’s absence and the other three proving he was right in thinking this little roundtable was beneath him, I think it’s important to note that both Heidner and Mendrick showed up for TV in full Trump cosplay. Both brought out their finest navy suits and solid red ties. Heidner won the “Who wore it best?” battle based on his similar build and the effort put into his hair.
Anyway, good luck selling your tack to the center in the general when you’re playing MAGA dress-up all through the primary. And if you think you can just have the energized base carry you all the way through November, you can ask Darren Bailey how that goes the next time he lowers himself to share a room with you.
==What about the 18 emergency orders Pritzker issued for illegal migrants?==
Hi Mark, since I’ve got you here for a moment, care to share with the class how you have intimate knowledge of what’s inside Darren Bailey’s pants?
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:10 pm:
@Norseman and Yellow Dog Democrat +1
=What about the 18 emergency orders Pritzker issued for illegal migrants?=
Sounds like you don’t know. What would you like to know?
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:31 pm:
Republicans care about crime, who’s the president again? They care about it like they do about debt and economic growth, exploding the debt under Trump 1 and Rauner, and weaker economic growth under decades of Republican presidents. Those are only weapons to attack opponents with.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:39 pm:
For someone who has spent a career in law enforcement, Mendrick sure got agitated quickly when someone else got slightly snarky with him.
- Dotnonymous x - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:44 pm:
Q. Mr. Heidner, how did you get rich?
A. Pocketing poor people’s money…you know, the regular way.
- Dotnonymous x - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:49 pm:
Mendrick…tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, sheriff, cop, governor…got it.
- Dotnonymous x - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:53 pm:
Mendrick seems a tad too touchy.
- Dotnonymous x - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:57 pm:
Heidner claims legality…can he claim morality as well?
- Dotnonymous x - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 12:59 pm:
Heidner sells false hope legally.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 1:05 pm:
Thanks JS Mill.
As I pointed out at the onset of COVID pandemic and the Stay at Home orders, state statute does grant the governor some pretty sweeping powers in the case of pandemics and war. The wartime powers were enacted during the Cold War and imagined us running state government in the aftermath of a nuclear attack by the Soviets. So, pretty dystopian.
But my point to Tad, Mark Glennon, Tom DeVore and others is you guys need to actually read the statutes here in illinois. Not issue legal opinions or make policy recommendations based on vibes or what you read on Twitter that someone else heard on a YouTube video.
Again, you guys appear less serious now than Darren Bailey, and your entire raison d’etre is supposedly that Bailey cannot run a serious campaign.
Right now the Pritzker campaign is probably having serious second thoughts about boosting Bailey’s candidacy and thinks they might have an easier time with Tad.
- btowntruthfromforgottonia - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 1:48 pm:
H-W:
So as a fellow West Central Illinoian you know that a lot of the locals see anyone to the left of Atilla The Hun as a “radical”.
- btowntruthfromforgottonia - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 1:50 pm:
Funny how they love “small government” until they get to use emergency orders or executive orders innit?
- btowntruthfromforgottonia - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 1:54 pm:
Ted:
If you win,please try to shut legalized video gaming down.
Please pretty please with sugar on it.
I would love to see the show that unfolds with GOP legislators who took money from gaming lobbyists twisting themselves into knots on it.
- very old soil - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 2:52 pm:
“Son, if you can’t take their money, drink their whiskey, s**** their women, and then vote against ’em, you don’t deserve to be here.”
— Sam Rayburn
- H-W - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 3:53 pm:
@ B-town
I am a public servant, an open book. Lies are what would get you in trouble here, right? Most of the county folks know me as “so-add-so’s dad, or “coach” or that crazy professor who moved here and bought Vernon’s James’ house.” I have always said what I believe, what I know, and what I wish. People read me like a book in the opinion pages /s Peace
- Someone who knows - Wednesday, Feb 25, 26 @ 6:34 pm:
Heidner keeps talking about cutting wasteful spending in Ellinois but he can’t even reign in the top guy and all his wasteful spending in his own company.