* The Tribune’s Rick Pearson…
Bailey, appearing before the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsement session of Illinois candidates for governor, also said he wanted to “clarify” comments he’s made previously about former President Donald Trump. While he welcomed Trump’s pre-primary endorsement and had previously said there was “no” daylight between him and Trump, Bailey said he was speaking of a bustling economy under the Republican former chief executive’s leadership.
“Honored to have his endorsement, obviously, but he’s not on the ballot. I’m on the ballot,” Bailey said, adding that Illinois was his “focus.”
Asked if the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol has shown Trump’s culpability in the insurrection, Bailey said, “I’m not educated enough or informed enough to give you an answer on that.”
“I am 150% ingrained in Illinois. That’s Washington. That’s national politics,” said Bailey, who said the constitutional transition from Trump “was followed” and Democrat Joe Biden “is president.”
* Crain’s on today’s Illinois Associated Press Media Association Editors forum…
“I am always open to working with people who are rational and reasonable with their proposals,” the governor added [about Sen. Scott Bennett’s proposed SAFE-T Act changes].
Meanwhile, Bailey latched on to crime, the biggest theme of his campaign, early and often, noting, “law and order is out of control,” and continued to beat the drum later.
And when given his own chance to address the SAFE-T act, Bailey said, “Sometimes, I can’t figure out if our governor’s a fool or a liar but he’s trying to dupe us… he intends to let criminals out of jail.”
Touting the endorsement of various police groups, Bailey said the act should be repealed but added if he were to win the election, he’d call a special session to make necessary changes to the law.
* WBEZ also interviewed Bailey…
And Bailey moved to repeal the Reproductive Health Act of 2019 — the subject of his tense late-night exchange with the law’s lead House architect, Rep. Cassidy.
At one point during that hearing, Cassidy dramatically recounted her own emergency abortion in 2000 as Bailey pressed her on how many abortions in Illinois were the result of medical emergencies.
Bailey didn’t acknowledge Cassidy’s ordeal that night, and today she still remembers how “dismissive” that felt. […]
Bailey recalls their exchange, too. He disputes that the procedure Cassidy underwent truly represented an abortion because of its emergency, life-saving nature but said he remains “against what Kelly Cassidy stands for” on the issue.
Bailey said he hopes, despite their legislative clashes, he and Cassidy — and, more broadly, Democrats in general — can collaborate to fix the state’s problems if he is governor.
“I respect Kelly Cassidy. I know she respects me,” he said. “I look forward to working with legislators, whatever their background is, whatever their beliefs are….We’re going to stay on point fixing the things that truly matter to the people of Illinois.”
* Rich asked Rep. Cassidy if she does, indeed, respect Sen. Bailey…
Anyone who knows me knows my ability and willingness to engage across the aisle and build genuine relationships with my Republican colleagues. And when he first came to Springfield, I had some hope that Darren Bailey and I could also build a relationship. But that means sincerely acknowledging each other’s humanity.
There are very few people in Springfield I don’t interact with, but someone who has the audacity to ignorantly declare that he knows better than my doctor and I do about an incredibly painful period in my life brings to mind the old saying “when someone shows you who they are, believe them.” Add on his cartoonish embrace of anti scientific nonsense in an effort to raise his profile during a deadly pandemic that quite literally cost people their lives, and he’s not someone to be taken seriously. Period.
…Adding… The Bailey campaign pointed to this photo, taken after their 2019 row, to dispute Cassidy’s account…
Representative Kelly Cassidy stopped me in the hall to introduce newly seated Representative Yoni Pizer.
They are both…
Posted by Darren Bailey for Governor on Tuesday, February 18, 2020
20 Comments  
|
Today’s quotable
Friday, Sep 30, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rick Pearson at the Tribune…
Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey likened Chicago to an “unruly child” Thursday and said he considers the city he has frequently referred to as a “hellhole” as part of his family in the way “I consider all of Illinois my family.” […]
In recent weeks, Bailey moved into the 875 North Michigan Avenue building, formerly the John Hancock Center, as he spends more time in the state’s most populous area. And he was asked if he wanted to retract his “hellhole” comments, but did not do so.
“Raising children. When we had the unruly child, we dealt with it. Said, ‘this is a problem,’” Bailey said. “The family. Family. I consider all of Illinois my family. I consider Chicago my family and I want to get Chicago fixed and there’s other parts of Illinois that have issues, too. Let’s address it. Let’s deal with it. Let’s unify.”
* So, how did Bailey and his family deal with their unruly children? Well, Bailey spoke at a Belleville church last fall and addressed this very topic. The link magically came over the transom today…
So during that time, this was what God was preparing, you know, during that time, with all the other stuff with the farm, our oldest son rebelled and I kicked him out of the house.
It took us about a year and a half to, Cindy and I tried ourselves to outsmart him. I’m president of the school board, leader in the church. But we raised him pretty smart. So he would outfox us and maneuver us everywhere. We tried to head him off at the pass. But, he eventually, through a work of God, came back.
Two years later, our daughter, our number third child, she rebelled to the extent that I felt that I needed to kick her out of the house.
And by then, through all this prayer and fasting that we were going through, we got on our faces quickly. We didn’t rely on our own means and our friends. We got on our faces before God and, thank goodness, you know, within six months, she was back.
And the cool thing is that today those two children and number one our son of whom, you know, couldn’t stand us at the time and wanted to get away. His house is probably the distance of this tent behind us. So, God is good. And they’re both leaders in their churches, using the experiences that they went through to teach young people, to teach them, encouraging them what not to do and what to do if they do make mistakes.
Glad that all had a happy conclusion, but you can’t just kick a city out of a state, even though he did try.
…Adding… Democratic Party of Illinois…
In case you missed recent coverage of his latest denigration of Chicago, Darren Bailey referred to the state’s largest city as an “unruly child” in the Illinois “family” — and Bailey, who has repeatedly called Chicago a “hellhole” and sponsored legislation to remove it from the rest of the state, is no stranger to “unruly children.”
In a 2021 video, Bailey recounted kicking his own children out of his house when they “rebelled,” saying: “Our oldest son rebelled, I kicked him out of the house. … Two years later, our daughter, our number third child, she rebelled to the extent that I felt that I needed to kick her out of the house.”
Every day, it becomes more clear that Bailey is incapable of serving as a governor for all of Illinois. From posting insensitive and inappropriate sentiments about members of the LGBTQ+ and Muslim communities, to encouraging mass shooting victims to “move on and celebrate” 90 minutes after a massacre, to comparing abortion to the Holocaust, it’s apparent that Darren Bailey has no interest in bringing Illinosians together.
When Darren Bailey identifies a problem, his solution is to simply throw it out. Comparing the city of Chicago to an unruly child makes perfect sense in Bailey’s mind because at the end of the day, he knows he’s kicking both to the curb.
61 Comments
|
Live coverage
Thursday, Sep 29, 2022 - Posted by Isabel Miller
Comments Off
|
Campaign notebook
Wednesday, Sep 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker topped this Minnesota campaign contribution list at $2.25 million…
In Minnesota politics, state-level candidates and political action committees have received $95.9 million in total donations between Jan. 1, 2021, and July 18, 2022. The 10 largest donors gave more than $9.4 million, or 10 percent of all contributions.
* Wall St. Journal …
Some Black Chicagoans Hit by Crime Consider Skipping Midterm Elections
Republicans see disillusioned voters as path to upset in Illinois governor’s race, though many Democrats remain reluctant to switch parties
That’s what this is all about. Drive down turnout. However, the Wall St. Journal isn’t relying on polling data and instead just did what East Coast news outlets excel at doing: They sent a couple of DC-based reporters out on a very brief foray into Black neighborhoods to “get the pulse,” along with reporting on some Republican aspirations. Sloppy. But it is true that the Democrats have to make sure their base turns out.
* Press release…
With polls opening tomorrow for early voting, the Vote No on Amendment 1 ballot committee has launched two digital ads to warn voters about the dangers of Amendment 1, the first item at the top of the ballot.
The new ads link to an Illinois Policy Institute property tax calculator that allows homeowners to see how much more Amendment 1 could cost them on their property tax bills. The ads are paid for by Vote No on Amendment 1.
The first ad, entitled “Amendment 1 threatens my American Dream,” features first-generation American Argie Karafotias, whose business Golden Brunch survived the pandemic but is still getting crushed by high taxes. He says his local business can’t afford another property tax hike.
The second, entitled “Amendment 1 = Higher Illinois property taxes,” showcases Katy Stryker, a mom and small business owner who is worried about future challenges, including higher property taxes from Amendment 1.
Statement from Matt Paprocki, treasurer of Vote No on Amendment 1:
“The last thing Illinois needs is another property tax hike. Our campaign is proud to highlight local Illinois business owners and residents who see the true cost unchecked government union power will have on Illinoisans. Amendment 1 will harm local businesses, foster Illinois’ culture of corruption and raise property taxes statewide. Voters can’t afford it.”
To view the property tax calculator, visit illin.is/taxcalc.
To view the ads against Amendment 1, visit illin.is/ads.
…Adding… Forgot about this one…
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs is untruthful again and cannot keep his retirement tax story straight. In an interview that aired on WGN, Frerichs was asked about his June 17, 2020 comments in support of a retirement tax.
“My opponent in that debate supported taxing people’s pension income. He wanted to tax specifically people with higher incomes….That’s something I thought he would like and that was the argument I made.”
He is referring to Todd Maisch, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, who led a coalition against the progressive income tax and has been and continues to be an ardent opponent of new tax increases. Todd Maisch directly responded to Frerichs’ false claims:
“I do not, nor does the Chamber, support a progressive income or retirement tax and have spent my entire career fighting to reduce, not increase taxes in Illinois,” said Maisch, who has been with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce for nearly 30 years.
“I was surprised that Treasurer Frerichs brought up taxing retirement as an argument for the progressive tax because it is such an unpopular idea in Illinois.
“It’s par for the course with Treasurer Frerichs who ducks, dodges, and deflects to hide his own failures,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “Multiple sources have now confirmed what we all know - Frerichs is untruthful in his comments claiming he never supported a retirement tax.”
In 2020, he ran away from reporters and voters at a press conference he called to address his comments. Last month, his campaign said anyone saying he supports a retirement tax is “lying.” State Treasurer Mike Frerichs is now blaming a fellow forum participant for his comments on why Illinois should consider taxing retirement income.
“While there is no winner in Treasurer Frerichs’ never-ending blame game, there is one clear loser, Illinois voters,” said Chairman Tracy. “Illinois voters must hold Frerichs accountable and elect a true fiscal watchdog in Tom Demmer.”
Frerichs has spent his time as a state legislator championing tax increases. Introducing not one, but five pieces of legislation to create a progressive income tax with SJRCA69, SJRCA92 , SJRCA89 , SJRCA101 and SJRCA17 .
…Adding… Another one…
Today, Illinois NOW (National Organization for Women) PAC announced its endorsement of Judge Elizabeth Rochford in her campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court’s Second District. A non-partisan organization, NOW’s mission is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now - sharing equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination. Illinois NOW is an organization of chapters from every area in Illinois.
“Illinois NOW PAC works tirelessly to protect women and their right to reproductive care and justice, to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and to eliminate racial inequality. As these fights intensify, we need proven and experienced leaders at every level of government, including the Illinois Supreme Court,” says Laura Welch, President of IL NOW. “That’s why we support Judge Elizabeth Rochford in the Second District, whose experience and qualifications are unmatched by her opponent, who not only never served as a judge, but is rated not recommended by the Illinois State Bar Association.”
Rochford has been rated “highly recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association and “highly qualified” by the Lake County Bar Association, the only candidate in the race for the Second District rated qualified. Rochford has been endorsed by the Lake County Democratic Women, Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Equality Illinois, pro-choice legislative leaders, and other groups who know there is no stronger champion for women in this race. She has also earned the endorsement of a number of organizations, including the Illinois AFL-CIO, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, GPAC, and Giffords PAC.
“I am grateful for the support of Illinois NOW, an organization dedicated to establishing access to resources and opportunities for women and other vulnerable members of our communities,” said Judge Elizabeth Rochford. “The best way to realize our vision of equal justice for all, is to have the best qualified, and experienced members of the judiciary serving on our state’s highest court. I am humbled to have earned the Illinois NOW endorsement for the Supreme Court seat in the Second District.”
* More…
* In 6th District race, Democrat Sean Casten and Republican Keith Pekau split on abortion rights: Pekau’s position is the target of a 30-second digital ad the Casten campaign released last week. Pekau criticized the ad in a subsequent news release, saying it misrepresented his views — but it didn’t say how or which views.
* Chung and Preston outline differences in criminal justice and taxes in 91st House debate
* She Runs Illinois 2022! — Sharon Chung, candidate for IL House of Representatives, District 91
16 Comments
|
* Stay tuned for updates…
…Adding… More…
POTUS above water is really bad news for Republicans here.
…Adding….
* From the story…
But despite Bailey’s efforts, and an onslaught of political ads paid for by Dan Proft’s “People Who Play By the Rules” PAC, Illinois likely voters say the economy is still the No. 1 issue (35%) driving their vote in November, followed by threats to democracy (17%) and abortion access (14%).
Crime is fourth on that list, with only 10% of voters picking the issue as their top concern. Of that group, the advantage does go to Bailey. About 58% of those who say crime is their top issue support his campaign. […]
Since the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade, Pritzker and Democratic allies have leaned into their support for abortion rights, promising to expand access for women. The strategy appears to be paying off, with 90% of those who say abortion access is their top concern planning to vote for his re-election. Pritzker also has broad support among female likely voters with 55% of women polled planning to vote for him, and 46% going for Bailey. Male voters were nearly split, with 46% supporting Pritzker and 44% supporting Bailey.
If memory serves, Pritzker also outpolled Bruce Rauner among men four years ago.
…Adding…. Full poll is here. Tell us what you find.
…Adding… More…
* And one more…
67 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
Live coverage
Wednesday, Sep 28, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
Comments Off
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
