* Darren Bailey’s running-mate Aaron Del Mar speaking at yesterday’s Republican Day event…
You know, I had a young man come up to me and say, Mr. Del Mar, ‘I’m excited to be able to vote for you, but I can’t because I’m only 15 years old. I got three more years.’ And I said, ‘Go ahead and vote. Nobody’s checking IDs anyways. You can vote a couple times. We’re here in Illinois. We don’t believe in election integrity.’
* Some background from a JB Pritzker campaign website targeting Darren Bailey…
Darren Bailey founded a school that teaches a curriculum that says evolution isn’t real and that slave owners were kind to their slaves.
He also supported local officials banning books in schools.
The school Bailey founded uses a curriculum that teaches dinosaurs and humans walked the earth at the same time.
An excerpt from BJU’s life and science book published in 2007 said, “The biblical account of creation says that God made the land and animals on the sixth day, the same day that he made Adam and Eve. Therefore, dinosaurs and men must have lived together.”
* We told you yesterday that the Pritzker campaign sent some inflatable dinosaurs to crash Republican Day at the State Fair…
Oh boy. Democrats sent these folks to crash Republican Day at the State Fair. pic.twitter.com/8tI2Cxmfpa
Bailey defended curricula used at the Full Armor Christian Academy, which he founded, that teaches children that dinosaurs and humans walked the earth at the same time. According to scientists, it wasn’t until more than 65 million years after the dinosaurs’ extinction that the earliest humans walked the earth. Bailey was asked about evolution in response to a campaign stunt in which Pritzker’s campaign had inflatable dinosaurs holding “dinosaurs against Darren Bailey” signs.
Appearing on WGN-TV’s “The Point,” Bailey was asked by the show’s host, Tahman Bradley, if he believed humans and dinosaurs coexisted. He never directly answered.
“Were you there?” Bailey responded.
“I wasn’t there,” Bradley said.
“I wasn’t either. I don’t know,” Bailey said.
The GOP gubernatorial candidate also said, “I think every day we’re learning wonderful things about history and the past.”
* Bailey was given another chance to answer during a press gaggle…
Reporter: Could you comment on what they’re saying on their website, that you believe that dinosaurs and man walked the earth at the same time?
Bailey: Ask Fred Flintstone. It’s a shame that he’s doing this when Illinois is suffering. It’s absolute nonsense.
Reporter: So do you believe it though?
Bailey: It’s absolute nonsense. So Illinois is suffering with high expenses, with our safety. Our schools are failing and he’s focused on everything else besides that because he’s focused on running for president. Illinois, I hope wakes up and understands that and realizes we need something different.
Reporter: Darren there are voters who opinions will be swayed on whether people believe dinosaurs lived at the same time as humans. Do you believe it or not.
Bailey: I don’t belive anyone’s going to be swayed by that. I said it once. I’ll say it again, go ask Fred Flintstone and let him explain it because he needs to be focused and spending money on getting the message out on how he is going to make Illinois more affordable, safer and fix our schools and he’s refusing to do that.
And here I thought that Bailey was gonna drop the personal insults.
“We’re not perfect, but the other side is crazy,” said Don Tracy, candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois. “If elected, I’ll represent you — not special interests.”
Over the past decade, the party has cycled through four different chairmen, each tasked with building back a fundraising apparatus and desperately trying to encourage supporters skeptical of vote-by-mail to bank their votes. They’ve also had to mend intraparty feuds.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Bob Grogan, who defeated incumbent Kathy Salvi for the statewide party post earlier this year, joked to reporters that he “probably has the second-hardest job in the world” after Trump. […]
But Grogan said he sees an opening to win over new voters due to Democratic policies he cast as extreme. Or, to put it another way: “It’s common sense versus communism,” he said.
“We won the Cold War, but we lost the war in the universities, where communism was kept in a petri dish just to be regrown here in some of the youth,” Grogan said.
Bailey responded to questions of his campaign’s donor-vetting process after reports that his campaign took contributions from a sex offender both in 2026 and 2022, according to campaign filings and offender records.
Bailey’s running mate, Aaron Del Mar, brushed off any connection between the campaign and donor.
“Right now anybody can go to Bailey for Illinois and donate to our campaign, it’s an automated system. So we don’t check every single person that comes through, as much as J.B. Pritzker is going through and trying to check at every donor that we have,” Del Mar said.
Bailey noted the funds would be donated to charity, and would not be used by his campaign.
He also vehemently denied claims from Pritzker’s campaign that he ever met with the donor and attended a church the man reportedly pastors.
“I’ve never met the man, that’s the lie that J.B. Pritzker put out. I did not go there and I do not recall ever meeting him. And I have researched, the man’s not even a pastor, so absolutely not. I don’t know the person,” Bailey said.
* Not exactly packed…
We're covering the Republicans' Day at the fair today, which is starting with a candidate forum kicked off by GOP Governor candidate @DarrenBaileyIL. "We are stronger together and we must put these small, petty differences aside and that will make us stronger," he says of the… pic.twitter.com/D2AYEF5kU6
Republicans have been in the superminority in the House since 2018, but they’ve since held ground, preserving 40 of 118 seats. It’s been worse on the Senate side, where the party has been in the superminority since 2012 and currently holds 19 of 59 seats. […]
That same northwest suburban area is also the site of a tough Senate race between incumbent Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, and Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Inverness.
Curran also has other seats his caucus currently holds that he is trying to defend, but said he’s also hoping Frank Lesko will oust Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, Brad Beekman will defeat Sen. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, and Daniel Rhyne will send Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, packing.
McCombie declined to say how many seats she’s aiming to pick up, but said the 112th District represented by Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, 76th District represented by Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-La Salle, and 97th District represented by Rep. Jessica Dixon Heitman, D-Plainfield, are among her targets. Stuart is facing Jimmy Ford and Briel is up against Liz Bishop for a second time.
What we don’t believe is that there is a problem with elections that need to be fixed. This whole election integrity thing is a made up crisis by Republicans. And gullible people believe it.
I know he thinks he’s making a crack at Pritzker, but if he keeps saying “ask Fred Flintstone” every time he’s asked if he believes dinosaurs and humans coexisted, people are going to think he considers “The Flintstones” to be a historical documentary.
As for his “Were you there?” defense, neither of us were alive in 1862, so who can say if Abraham Lincoln existed or the Civil War actually happened, I guess.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:02 am:
They could not fill every chair at their own candidate forum, drawing on the entire state.
What he doesn’t know covers a lot of ground, but in this case he is teaching that it is true even though he doesn’t know. Where I come from, that is called lying.
=go ask Fred Flintstone and let him explain it=
Facepalm. Pot, meet kettle. Here he is, Mr. Sensitive whining about being called a name calling people names. Again.
Seems very MAGA (at least maga politicians), dish it out but can’t take it.
Uh, Darren. If you can’t answer whether people and dinosaurs coexisted, you have zero chance of improving our schools. That’s literally a relevant question to a point you keep deflecting to. What kind of moron deflects back to the thing he’s trying to sweep under the rug? I’m struggling for a metaphor because this talking point is so uniquely idiotic.
I would love Aaron Del Mar to describe to me the process of voting. Does he think there’s just a stack of paper ballots sitting on the table and you can walk up and grab one, or however many you feel like, and have at it?
Darren Bailey should be embarrassed by his lack of knowledge concerning science, but he is not. Might be time for the candidate to have a cognitive exam.
Watched the WGN interview and Bailey is one angry guy. His flippant answers prove that he is not qualified to be governor in E-La-Noy.
- Stephenson County - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:29 am:
Bailey goes to show how far from reality the Il. state GOP is. What a clown show they have become.
It is an old Illinois tradition to have these political party days at the Illinois State Fair.
I have visited other State Fairs. While I have seen elected officials touring these fairs and meeting with constituents and visitors, I am unaware of other states that schedule political rallies as part of the fair calendar schedules.
Are there more political days when the DuQuoin fair opens?
As someone who has been to a few Libertarian and Green Party events statewide: ILGOP official party events are giving off stagnant third-party vibes the last few years…
I went to the grandstand show last night and spent a couple hours before walking around and at the beer tents. I expected to see lots of MAGA hats and whatnot, but the only overtly GOP swag I noticed were two elderly ladies with “Fire Pritzker” placards on their mobility scooters. Anecdotal but I don’t sense a lot of enthusiasm from that side these days.
Side note, the ASL interpreter during Drive By Truckers was as good as the band, and that’s in no way a knock against DBT.
Bailey’s temperament in the interview indicates a cringe factor. Pontificating is on full display. His snarky answers show no leadership qualities whatsoever.
Perhaps Bailey realizes he will lose Bigly in November.
Bailey at the candidate forum: “We are stronger together and we must put these small, petty differences aside and that will make us stronger.”
Del Mar, a few hours later at the fair: “Why are you not proud that you’re a Republican? Cause you’re mad you’re going to lose some friends on Facebook? Who cares? They weren’t your friends to begin with.”
The difference between Governor’s Day and GOP Day in every aspect- the turn out, the vibes, the energy, the sound level, the diversity and the body language- was just stunning. One group looked primed, and the other looked not ready for prime time.
I kinda feel bad for the GOP it must be hard to have a completely useless party. Like the kid that invites the whole class to their bday party and only 1 person shows. Deserved!
They were formidable because they were competent. In this new era, conservatism is feelings-based. It just don’t play well here, but trying to play against it is career suicide for a Republican. They’re living in the house that Rush Limbaugh built.
Tracy: We’re not perfect, but the other side is crazy.
Grogan: It’s common sense versus communism; and, we won the Cold War, but we lost the war in the universities, where communism was kept.
With a platform like this, it is hard to understand why anyone would take the party serious. It is easy to see why they remain a minority party (ignoring gerrymandering) when the platform advocates for voter fraud, and against education.
I bet several other leaders believe dinosaurs and humans palled around 6,000 years ago, even though there is no mention of these gigantic beasts in the the books of Moses.
How many Facebook friends does Aaron Del Mar have?
He is not popular with many Republicans. For example, the Bailey/Del Mar ticket did not carry Cook County in the primary while Del Mar was the County GOP chair.
Aaron may cost Darren votes in November.
- West Side the Best Side - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:07 am:
Is Del Mar’s “Mr. Del Mar” story like a Trump “Sir” story? Or is he really that much of stunad to tell someone to commit vote fraud and then admit to it in a speech? I guess in today’s Republican party it doesn’t much matter either way.
Wait until you find out which side *actually* keeps getting caught up in voter fraud cases. I’ll give you a hint: it’s the side that says they need all *our* data because of “voter fraud.”
I’ve been trying to figure out if Bailey sees himself in a David vs. Goliath scenario, expecting a miraculous win. If so, we may be in for perennial candidacy on his part.
His intransigence on the dinosaur issue makes him out of step with what the vast majority of voters believe and how they perceive his intelligence.
But if you have a divine mandate, none of that matters.
== I’ve been trying to figure out if Bailey sees himself in a David vs. Goliath scenario==
Mario vs. King Koopa might be a closer analogy for his mindset.
- here we go again - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:01 pm:
A lot of Republicans couldn’t believe when Bailey picked Aaron Del Mar as a running mate, a dude Bailey himself had been critical of in the past. But it’s actually easy to see why. Both are about equally buffoonish. Peas & carrots. Congratulations Democrats on another easy win. Sad.
===His intransigence on the dinosaur issue makes him out of step with what the vast majority of voters believe… But if you have a divine mandate, none of that matters.”
The dino stuff is weird, but all religions believe in odd things. I first got a taste of that when my family moved to Utah. What were simple, natural beliefs to my Mormon friends looked kinda bizarre to my teenaged eyes.
But, then it occurred to me that I eat pork, beef and didn’t necessarily eschew meat on Friday.
Everybody has different religious beliefs, so I’m kind of thinking I’m uncomfortable with this line of attack.
- here we go again - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:23 pm:
Bailey invoking Fred Flintstone is very curious. On the one hand it’s obviously a juvenile jab at Pritzker. But it also seems to ask people to remember the cartoon which had people living with dinosaurs. Like he’s citing the cartoon as support for his theory. Mixing metaphors in very lazy fashion. Very mushy thought and messaging. And frankly just weird.
It’s as if Bailey and Del Mar don’t realize that the path to victory runs through college educated suburban voters. It’s easy to gain the support of election deniers and evolution skeptics. It’s a low bar but it doesn’t win statewide elections in Illinois.
Those people who just come up to politicians with convenient set-up questions are really real…aren’t they?…I remember President Reagan claiming he spoke to a young man in a grocery store who he watched purchase booze and cigarettes with food stamps…that guy was just as real…wasn’t he?
“Everybody has different religious beliefs, so I’m kind of thinking I’m uncomfortable with this line of attack.”
As an atheist who grew up in a very, very WASPy community, I used to think this way. That everyone thinks and believes differently, and that’s ok. But when Christian nationalism attacks everything that isn’t them and bases national policy on their religious beliefs, then that’s a real problem (a Constitutional problem as well). So, I am now very comfortable in criticizing Christians, especially Christians who believe in wacky things like dinosaurs and humans living together.
“But it also seems to ask people to remember the cartoon which had people living with dinosaurs”
The first two times I heard Bailey say go ask Fred Flintstone - I really thought is he wanting me ask a cartoon character who lived with Dinosaurs? I then thought - does he think the Flintstones was biographical in some sense?
It took (longer than it should) a few moments for me to understand he was jabbing JB. The message was totally flat, especially because it’s clear, Darren totally believes that man and brontosaurus treaded the earth at the same time.
==Everybody has different religious beliefs, so I’m kind of thinking I’m uncomfortable with this line of attack.==
I’m sorry if I gave the impression I was attacking Bailey on his religious beliefs. That wasn’t my intent at all. I was looking for an explanation of his motivation in running, given the tremendous odds against Republicans in Illinois.
Bailey happens to be a Young Earther, and many Christians hold the belief that the Earth is only 5,000 - 8,000 years old. It’s not uncommon in Christianity at all.
I do think his religious beliefs drive his life and choices, and if you’re serious about your faith, that’s how it should be.
- here we go again - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 1:16 pm:
I was always a fan of Billy Graham, a smart & decent man who did know how to critically think, and I distinctly remember an interview once where he mentioned a letter he received from a CHILD that referenced the idea of dinosaurs & humans existing together. Rev. Graham graciously but definitively shot down that nonsense.
A good follow up for Bailey and other Biblical literalists would be: if humans and dinosaurs lived together, why didn’t Noah let any dinosaurs on the Ark?
- Demoralized - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 8:49 am:
What we don’t believe is that there is a problem with elections that need to be fixed. This whole election integrity thing is a made up crisis by Republicans. And gullible people believe it.
- Demoralized - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 8:51 am:
==I wasn’t either. I don’t know==
Science knows. And humans weren’t there.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 8:53 am:
“Ask Fred Flintstone. It’s a shame that he’s doing this when Illinois is suffering. It’s absolute nonsense.”
I agree. It’s time for right thinking Illinoisans to stand up to the Flintstone menace.
- Roadrager - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 8:57 am:
Uh-oh, 2022 Darren Bailey is back in town.
I know he thinks he’s making a crack at Pritzker, but if he keeps saying “ask Fred Flintstone” every time he’s asked if he believes dinosaurs and humans coexisted, people are going to think he considers “The Flintstones” to be a historical documentary.
As for his “Were you there?” defense, neither of us were alive in 1862, so who can say if Abraham Lincoln existed or the Civil War actually happened, I guess.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:02 am:
They could not fill every chair at their own candidate forum, drawing on the entire state.
A picture is worth a thousand laughs.
- JS Mill - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:04 am:
=“I wasn’t either. I don’t know,” Bailey said.=
What he doesn’t know covers a lot of ground, but in this case he is teaching that it is true even though he doesn’t know. Where I come from, that is called lying.
=go ask Fred Flintstone and let him explain it=
Facepalm. Pot, meet kettle. Here he is, Mr. Sensitive whining about being called a name calling people names. Again.
Seems very MAGA (at least maga politicians), dish it out but can’t take it.
- Irreverent - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:15 am:
Uh, Darren. If you can’t answer whether people and dinosaurs coexisted, you have zero chance of improving our schools. That’s literally a relevant question to a point you keep deflecting to. What kind of moron deflects back to the thing he’s trying to sweep under the rug? I’m struggling for a metaphor because this talking point is so uniquely idiotic.
- Irreverent - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:23 am:
@JS
The term is “crybullying” and Republicans excel at it.
- The Drummer - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:26 am:
“stronger together”: did they focus group that, and find using Hillary’s campaign slogan scores well with Republicans?
- 48th Ward Heel - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:26 am:
I would love Aaron Del Mar to describe to me the process of voting. Does he think there’s just a stack of paper ballots sitting on the table and you can walk up and grab one, or however many you feel like, and have at it?
- Annon3 - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:28 am:
IL GOP Forum- looks likes almost all in attendance voted in Ronald Reagan’s first presidential election in 1980.
- Rudy’s teeth - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:29 am:
Darren Bailey should be embarrassed by his lack of knowledge concerning science, but he is not. Might be time for the candidate to have a cognitive exam.
Watched the WGN interview and Bailey is one angry guy. His flippant answers prove that he is not qualified to be governor in E-La-Noy.
- Stephenson County - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:29 am:
Bailey goes to show how far from reality the Il. state GOP is. What a clown show they have become.
- Contrarian - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:35 am:
It is an old Illinois tradition to have these political party days at the Illinois State Fair.
I have visited other State Fairs. While I have seen elected officials touring these fairs and meeting with constituents and visitors, I am unaware of other states that schedule political rallies as part of the fair calendar schedules.
Are there more political days when the DuQuoin fair opens?
- NIU Grad - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:43 am:
As someone who has been to a few Libertarian and Green Party events statewide: ILGOP official party events are giving off stagnant third-party vibes the last few years…
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:52 am:
I went to the grandstand show last night and spent a couple hours before walking around and at the beer tents. I expected to see lots of MAGA hats and whatnot, but the only overtly GOP swag I noticed were two elderly ladies with “Fire Pritzker” placards on their mobility scooters. Anecdotal but I don’t sense a lot of enthusiasm from that side these days.
Side note, the ASL interpreter during Drive By Truckers was as good as the band, and that’s in no way a knock against DBT.
- fs - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:54 am:
I don’t think Gomer Pyle is in any sort of position, mentally or physically, to be throwing those types of comparisons around as personal shots.
- Contrarian - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 9:57 am:
With Bailey and Del Mar as headliners, I am shocked that anyone was in attendance for Republican Day.
- Rudy’s teeth - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:01 am:
Bailey’s temperament in the interview indicates a cringe factor. Pontificating is on full display. His snarky answers show no leadership qualities whatsoever.
Perhaps Bailey realizes he will lose Bigly in November.
- Jocko - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:13 am:
==Nobody’s checking IDs anyways.==
You have to love the candidate from the ‘law and order’ party telling someone to cheat.
- I-55 Fanatic - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:18 am:
Bailey at the candidate forum: “We are stronger together and we must put these small, petty differences aside and that will make us stronger.”
Del Mar, a few hours later at the fair: “Why are you not proud that you’re a Republican? Cause you’re mad you’re going to lose some friends on Facebook? Who cares? They weren’t your friends to begin with.”
- Just Bill - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:24 am:
The difference between Governor’s Day and GOP Day in every aspect- the turn out, the vibes, the energy, the sound level, the diversity and the body language- was just stunning. One group looked primed, and the other looked not ready for prime time.
- iheartsza - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:29 am:
I kinda feel bad for the GOP it must be hard to have a completely useless party. Like the kid that invites the whole class to their bday party and only 1 person shows. Deserved!
- low level - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:38 am:
Beetle Bailey at it again… not only is he clueless on policy but his voice is uber annoying.
The once formidable Illinois GOP has been reduced to this. Amazing.
- Irreverent - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:41 am:
@low
They were formidable because they were competent. In this new era, conservatism is feelings-based. It just don’t play well here, but trying to play against it is career suicide for a Republican. They’re living in the house that Rush Limbaugh built.
- H-W - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 10:55 am:
Del Mar: Voter fraud is rampant.
Bailey: Our schools are failing.
Tracy: We’re not perfect, but the other side is crazy.
Grogan: It’s common sense versus communism; and, we won the Cold War, but we lost the war in the universities, where communism was kept.
With a platform like this, it is hard to understand why anyone would take the party serious. It is easy to see why they remain a minority party (ignoring gerrymandering) when the platform advocates for voter fraud, and against education.
I bet several other leaders believe dinosaurs and humans palled around 6,000 years ago, even though there is no mention of these gigantic beasts in the the books of Moses.
- Contrarian - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:00 am:
How many Facebook friends does Aaron Del Mar have?
He is not popular with many Republicans. For example, the Bailey/Del Mar ticket did not carry Cook County in the primary while Del Mar was the County GOP chair.
Aaron may cost Darren votes in November.
- West Side the Best Side - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:07 am:
Is Del Mar’s “Mr. Del Mar” story like a Trump “Sir” story? Or is he really that much of stunad to tell someone to commit vote fraud and then admit to it in a speech? I guess in today’s Republican party it doesn’t much matter either way.
- Scoot - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:14 am:
So bizarre I’m almost speechless.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:23 am:
What’s more alarming than Darren Bailey’s belief that dinosaurs and humans lived alongside eachother is his belief he is clever.
- Steve Rogers - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:25 am:
Did Del Mar just commit election fraud by publicly encouraging an underage teen to vote?
Irony is truly dead.
- Irreverent - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:37 am:
@Steve
Wait until you find out which side *actually* keeps getting caught up in voter fraud cases. I’ll give you a hint: it’s the side that says they need all *our* data because of “voter fraud.”
- Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:48 am:
I’ve been trying to figure out if Bailey sees himself in a David vs. Goliath scenario, expecting a miraculous win. If so, we may be in for perennial candidacy on his part.
His intransigence on the dinosaur issue makes him out of step with what the vast majority of voters believe and how they perceive his intelligence.
But if you have a divine mandate, none of that matters.
- fs - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 11:56 am:
== I’ve been trying to figure out if Bailey sees himself in a David vs. Goliath scenario==
Mario vs. King Koopa might be a closer analogy for his mindset.
- here we go again - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:01 pm:
A lot of Republicans couldn’t believe when Bailey picked Aaron Del Mar as a running mate, a dude Bailey himself had been critical of in the past. But it’s actually easy to see why. Both are about equally buffoonish. Peas & carrots. Congratulations Democrats on another easy win. Sad.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:06 pm:
===His intransigence on the dinosaur issue makes him out of step with what the vast majority of voters believe… But if you have a divine mandate, none of that matters.”
The dino stuff is weird, but all religions believe in odd things. I first got a taste of that when my family moved to Utah. What were simple, natural beliefs to my Mormon friends looked kinda bizarre to my teenaged eyes.
But, then it occurred to me that I eat pork, beef and didn’t necessarily eschew meat on Friday.
Everybody has different religious beliefs, so I’m kind of thinking I’m uncomfortable with this line of attack.
- here we go again - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:23 pm:
Bailey invoking Fred Flintstone is very curious. On the one hand it’s obviously a juvenile jab at Pritzker. But it also seems to ask people to remember the cartoon which had people living with dinosaurs. Like he’s citing the cartoon as support for his theory. Mixing metaphors in very lazy fashion. Very mushy thought and messaging. And frankly just weird.
- Pundent - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:25 pm:
It’s as if Bailey and Del Mar don’t realize that the path to victory runs through college educated suburban voters. It’s easy to gain the support of election deniers and evolution skeptics. It’s a low bar but it doesn’t win statewide elections in Illinois.
- Dotnonymous x - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:29 pm:
All sound and fury signifying proud ignorance.
- low level - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:33 pm:
==They were formidable because they were competent. In this new era, conservatism is feelings-based. ==
Totally agree. You hit it on the head.
- Dotnonymous x - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:42 pm:
Those people who just come up to politicians with convenient set-up questions are really real…aren’t they?…I remember President Reagan claiming he spoke to a young man in a grocery store who he watched purchase booze and cigarettes with food stamps…that guy was just as real…wasn’t he?
- Steve Rogers - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:44 pm:
“Everybody has different religious beliefs, so I’m kind of thinking I’m uncomfortable with this line of attack.”
As an atheist who grew up in a very, very WASPy community, I used to think this way. That everyone thinks and believes differently, and that’s ok. But when Christian nationalism attacks everything that isn’t them and bases national policy on their religious beliefs, then that’s a real problem (a Constitutional problem as well). So, I am now very comfortable in criticizing Christians, especially Christians who believe in wacky things like dinosaurs and humans living together.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 12:52 pm:
For those commenters still believing a “moderate” Republican can win back the ILGOP, please comment on YOUR candidate for Governor.
- Cool Papa Bell - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 1:03 pm:
“go ask Fred Flintstone”
@here we go again
“But it also seems to ask people to remember the cartoon which had people living with dinosaurs”
The first two times I heard Bailey say go ask Fred Flintstone - I really thought is he wanting me ask a cartoon character who lived with Dinosaurs? I then thought - does he think the Flintstones was biographical in some sense?
It took (longer than it should) a few moments for me to understand he was jabbing JB. The message was totally flat, especially because it’s clear, Darren totally believes that man and brontosaurus treaded the earth at the same time.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 1:08 pm:
==Everybody has different religious beliefs, so I’m kind of thinking I’m uncomfortable with this line of attack.==
I’m sorry if I gave the impression I was attacking Bailey on his religious beliefs. That wasn’t my intent at all. I was looking for an explanation of his motivation in running, given the tremendous odds against Republicans in Illinois.
Bailey happens to be a Young Earther, and many Christians hold the belief that the Earth is only 5,000 - 8,000 years old. It’s not uncommon in Christianity at all.
I do think his religious beliefs drive his life and choices, and if you’re serious about your faith, that’s how it should be.
- here we go again - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 1:16 pm:
I was always a fan of Billy Graham, a smart & decent man who did know how to critically think, and I distinctly remember an interview once where he mentioned a letter he received from a CHILD that referenced the idea of dinosaurs & humans existing together. Rev. Graham graciously but definitively shot down that nonsense.
- Jerry - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 2:08 pm:
“cuckoo” - Richard M Daley
- 47th Ward - Friday, Aug 21, 26 @ 2:55 pm:
A good follow up for Bailey and other Biblical literalists would be: if humans and dinosaurs lived together, why didn’t Noah let any dinosaurs on the Ark?