Following tonight’s Democratic Forum on NBC 5 Chicago, Citizens for Rauner Communications Director Will Allison released the following statement:
“JB Pritzker’s response to the very first question of tonight’s debate gave voters the answer they need: Pritzker can’t give a clear explanation as to why he was seemingly the only person in Illinois who didn’t know that now-imprisoned Governor Rod Blagojevich was under investigation in 2008.”
- Citizens for Rauner Communications Director Will Allison
Governor Rauner said it best last week: “It shows how pathetic our system is, how broken. Anyone who would use an excuse and say, ‘I did something immoral, unethical, disgusting, and self-dealing, but I didn’t go to jail, so it’s ok.’ Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?”
At tonight’s Illinois Democratic candidate forum, JB Pritzker made some erroneous statements.
Pritzker claimed to support Barack Obama in 2012.
“I supported Barack Obama in 2012, 2008, and was chosen by him in 2014 to run his early childhood summit.”
But here are the facts:
JB Pritzker went on the trading floor and said that he was considering Republican candidates. Bloomberg News clip, 3/9/12
After Pritzker touted his union support as evidence that he was the best candidate to take on pension reform, Biss said:
“JB was funding the right wing organization that was trying to push for much much more changes to pensions - it was trying to do away with pensions all together and replace them with 401Ks, something I never supported.”
* The Pritzker campaign was sending out “reality check” e-mails throughout the debate…
REALITY CHECK: Kennedy Supported Rahm Emanuel, Until He Didn’t
On the campaign trail, Chris Kennedy has all but declared war on Rahm Emanuel, but he has a closer relationship with the mayor than he’d like to admit. In 2014, Kennedy praised Emanuel’s leadership and donated $5,000 to his re-election campaign. Kennedy even sought Emanuel’s endorsement prior to his run for governor. And while his primary criticism of Emanuel is his “strategic gentrification plan” to push African Americans residents out of Chicago, Kennedy himself skirted requirements to include affordable housing units at Wolf Point.
REALITY CHECK:
Chris Kennedy donated $5,000 to Rahm Emanuel’s re-election campaign in 2014 and praised Emanuel’s leadership in a speech in front of Wolf Point, even comparing him to Joe Kennedy.
Despite claiming Emanuel has a “strategic gentrification plan” that pushes African Americans out of Chicago, Kennedy hired zoning lawyers to avoid affordable housing unit requirements at his luxury Wolf Point development.
Chris Kennedy even asked Emanuel for his endorsement in the governor’s race.
* And…
REALITY CHECK: JB Pritzker Has a Plan to Reform Our Criminal Justice System
JB Pritzker has a four-point plan to reform our criminal justice system and give all Illinoisans a chance to reach their full potential. JB’s plan focuses on legalizing marijuana and modernizing sentencing practices, reducing recidivism rates, reforming the juvenile justice system, and treating gun violence like a public health epidemic. With these reforms, JB will help build a criminal justice system that delivers justice to victims, rehabilitates individuals, and builds safer communities after decades of systemic disinvestment.
REALITY CHECK:
JB’s plan will legalize marijuana in a safe way and modernize sentencing laws to reverse the foundational causes of mass incarceration that disproportionately impact communities of color.
To reduce the recidivism rate, JB will prioritize rehabilitation and re-entry services for incarcerated people and create economic opportunities in all of our communities.
JB will promote rehabilitative alternatives to prosecution and incarceration in our juvenile justice system with a focus on restorative justice.
JB will address gun violence as a public health epidemic and hold police more accountable to the communities they serve.
* And…
REALITY CHECK: Biss Voted for Mike Madigan and Ran Madigan’s SuperPAC
Despite trying to put daylight between himself and Mike Madigan now, Daniel Biss is closer to the House Speaker than he’d like to admit. Biss accepted Madigan’s help to get elected to office in 2010 and then voted for Madigan for Speaker the following year. Biss accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Speaker’s state party. In 2016, he even ran Madigan’s Super PAC. While Biss uses anti-Madigan campaign rhetoric on the campaign trail, his years of loyalty to the Speaker tell a much different story.
REALITY CHECK:
In 2010, Daniel Biss accepted Madigan’s help to get elected, receiving $14,374.35 in in-kind contributions from Friends of Michael J. Madigan.
In 2011, Biss voted for Mike Madigan to be Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Over the years, Biss has accepted nearly $250,000 from the Democratic Party chaired by Madigan.
In 2016, Biss also ran Mike Madigan’s Super PAC, Leading Illinois for Tomorrow (LIFT), filling its coffers with millions from Madigan and top allies.
Biss did run that Super PAC and Pritzker was one of its top donors.
* And…
REALITY CHECK: Kennedy Is Against Legalizing Marijuana
Unlike what he said tonight, Chris Kennedy is against the legalization of marijuana despite the fact that it could bring in $350 to $700 million annually in much needed revenue. Kennedy said it’s “dangerous” to legalize recreational marijuana, calling it a “public health hazard.” However, studies show legal marijuana can actually help combat opioid addiction, and is less harmful than tobacco or alcohol. If Kennedy’s preference for decriminalizing marijuana instead of legalizing was all that was implemented, it could mean fines and jail time that would disproportionately impact communities of color.
REALITY CHECK:
Chris Kennedy called legalizing marijuana “dangerous” and a “public health hazard.”
While Chris Kennedy supports decriminalization, this alone could still mean fines or jail times that disproportionately impact communities of color.
A variety of studies have found that marijuana can be legalized safely, including a University of British Columbia study that found, “using marijuana could help some alcoholics and people addicted to opioids kick their habits.”
* And…
REALITY CHECK: JB Pritzker Has a Plan to Expand Healthcare for Illinois Families
JB is committed to defending the progress we’ve made under the Affordable Care Act and building on that progress to ensure all Illinoisans have quality care. JB was the first candidate in this race to put forward a comprehensive plan to expand healthcare for Illinois’ working families. In early August, JB introduced his plan, IllinoisCares, which would allow every Illinois resident to have access to quality, affordable healthcare through a public option. If implemented, Illinois would be the first state in the nation to expand healthcare in this way, at little to no cost to the taxpayer.
REALITY CHECK:
JB’s plan for healthcare, IllinoisCares, would be a first-in-the-nation program allowing Illinois residents to buy into the state’s Medicaid program.
The Medicaid buy-in option would expand quality, affordable healthcare for Illinois’ working families across the state.
JB has also been a fierce advocate for President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, running a statewide ad campaign to encourage Illinoisans to sign up after Donald Trump slashed the advertising budget and shortened the enrollment period.
* And…
REALITY CHECK: Biss Led Efforts to Cut Benefits for Working Families
In 2013, Daniel Biss helped write legislation to slash pensions for hundreds of thousands of workers, earning him the lowest lifetime AFL-CIO rating of any Democrat in the Senate. Were it not for the Supreme Court stepping in and ruling Biss’ bill unconstitutional, the bill would have had a devastating effect on Illinois workers.
REALITY CHECK:
Daniel Biss helped write legislation to cut pensions for more than 467,000 downstate teachers, university workers, and state employees.
Biss also voted for $1.6 billion in cuts to Medicaid and to strip some employees of collective bargaining rights.
Biss’ attacks on working families in the General Assembly earned him a 62% lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO through 2015, the worst of any Democrat in the State Senate.
* And…
JB Pritzker Makes Choice Clear in First Democratic Debate
Chicago, IL – At the first televised debate among Democratic candidates for governor, JB Pritzker demonstrated why he is the only candidate ready to take on Bruce Rauner. JB clearly laid out his vision for Illinois and spoke about his plans to expand healthcare, pass a progressive income tax, and invest in communities that have suffered from decades of disinvestment.
“Tonight, JB Pritzker showed Illinois why he’s the only candidate capable of beating Bruce Rauner,” said Pritzker campaign manager Anne Caprara. “With focus and force, JB made a clear case for his candidacy and proved why this failed governor is already running scared. JB took charge, laying out his vision for Illinois and his real policy plans to get this state back on track. Illinoisans watching across the state saw JB for the strong leader he is – ready to bring people together and move Illinois forward.”
* We’ll talk lots more about this topic tomorrow, but here’s the last Pritzker e-mail I received tonight…
Chris Kennedy Compliments Rauner, But Can’t Say a Single Nice Thing About a Democrat
Chicago, IL – While Chris Kennedy has been “applauding” Bruce Rauner for the past few days, he couldn’t muster a single nice thing to say about a Democrat running for governor at the NBC 5 / Telemundo debate tonight.
On Friday, Kennedy said, “I think Bruce Rauner is trying to do what he thinks is best for the state of Illinois,” and praised Rauner’s “willingness to speak truth to power.” But when asked to name something positive about JB, Kennedy paused for six seconds before resorting to his desperate Rauner playbook of attacking JB.
“While Chris Kennedy has heaped praise on Bruce Rauner for speaking ‘truth to power,’ in a stunning display of ungraciousness, he refused to name a single positive thing about JB,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “JB praised the Kennedy family for their work on the Special Olympics, but Chris would rather praise the Worst Republican Governor in America than a Democrat running for governor.”
* The first live televised Democratic gubernatorial candidates’ forum starts at six o’clock tonight. It will be moderated by NBC 5 Political Editor Carol Marin and Mary Ann Ahern and and Karla Leal will take questions from the audience. Click here or watch it below if it works (and I’m not sure it will)…
* Democratic attorney general candidate Aaron Goldstein hasn’t raised much money on his own ($6500 last quarter), but he did loan himself $185,000 and now he wants to spend it…
Aaron Goldstein’s campaign for Illinois Attorney General has released a preview of its new television commercial, entitled “Standing Next to You.” It is part of an aggressive $100,000 ad campaign which will be seen on broadcast TV, cable TV and digital media throughout the entire state beginning today. The commercial will air on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS and NBC as well as local media in markets in all of Illinois, such as Rock Island, Champaign, Carbondale, Chicago, Springfield and many more.
“We want people throughout the state who are frustrated with the status quo—politics dominated by big money, big corporations and political insiders, at the expense of everyday Illinoisans—to understand our bold progressive message,” said Goldstein. “Our campaign is about returning power to those who haven’t had a voice, and bringing fairness and justice to everyone, not just powerful special interests. I will be the People’s Defender. I will stand with the people of Illinois.”
The ad features Goldstein, who is a career public defender and civil rights attorney with the most trial experience in this race, representing clients who feel the legal and criminal justice system is rigged against them. The ad also shows Goldstein with his family: his wife Nicole, also a public defender, and their two lovely daughters.
Goldstein is running for Illinois Attorney General on a platform that includes reforming the criminal justice and police systems, including legalizing marijuana and ending the racist drug war, fighting big-money politics and public corruption, and defending Illinois against the extremist right-wing policies of the Trump administration. As Attorney General, one of his first actions will be to establish a Public Integrity Bureau within the Attorney General’s office, whose sole function will be to investigate governmental corruption and hold accountable those public officials who exploit and manipulate the system for the select few.
Sorry, but a $100,000 statewide media buy is in no way, shape or form “aggressive.” $100,000 in this state will not even have the impact of spitting into the wind.
He might’ve done himself more good by holding a press conference to give that $100K to charity
