The People Who Play By The Rules PAC has launched a new series, “Business Speaks” featuring successful job creators addressing the challenges of doing business in Illinois. An ad buy was placed in statewide media markets and the series is available on YouTube.
As Governor JB Pritzker has raised taxes and attempted to raise more, combined with his heavy-handed and unpredictable COVID lockdown policies, being a business owner in Illinois is more difficult than it’s been in generations. These are their stories.
First up is Tom Sodeika, the owner of a payroll services business in DuPage County:
Tom Sodeika, President/CEO of Auxilium HCM: “Everything that our Governor Pritzker has pushed through in policies do not serve the good citizens of Illinois. With his abuse of the emergency powers, he has negatively impacted businesses. We’re worried about paying our taxes, our home values are dropping while our property taxes are going up, and we are seeing big name businesses move out of Illinois. How much worse does it truly have to get?”
Tom Sodeika, President/CEO of Auxilium HCM: “Nothing is heading into the direction of improvements for Illinois. Our home values are dropping while our property taxes are going up, and it’s all built through policy, and frankly corruption that’s going to continue to happen. We can’t take it anymore.”
* Question to Ken Griffin from Tribune Editorial Page Editor Chris Jones…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said you and he met privately and that you agreed to drop your opposition to his graduated tax proposal if he took on pension reform in Illinois. True?
Griffin told Pritzker he had a rare opportunity to run the state not from the political left but the center, dealing with unaffordable pension costs, such as a 3% compound annual cost-of-living increase for retirees, while stabilizing state finances with additional revenues, the Griffin account goes.
“If you do these things, I certainly won’t get in your way and in fact will support you,” Griffin told Pritzker in so many words. In other words, Griffin urged Pritzker to make pension changes that could result in the governor getting some political cover from his rightward flank for a companion tax hike.
Reading comprehension is key. There was no talk about the graduated income tax.
* And it goes downhill from there…
In a Tribune ed board interview Ken Griffin wrongly believes IL govs are limited to two terms and incorrectly says municipal pension costs are “socialized” by all taxpayers statewide. Perhaps some of his $50m for Irvin should have paid for a civics class. https://t.co/juglZEp13L
To be clear, that was a fracturing moment between the two of us. … He does not want to use his political capital for good. He wants to maintain that capital to maintain the certainty of staying in power. Which I find perplexing in a state with a two-term limit.
And there’s another issue, which is that the costs of the promises made by cities and counties are not borne by the cities and counties directly, they’re socialized across the entire taxpayer base of the state. So it’s pretty easy for the behavior of a number of Illinois cities to offer incredible increases in pay in final years to boost pension benefits. And that cost comes back to all Illinois taxpayers.
Operation Warp Speed came from a conversation between myself and members of the (Trump) administration. And we only saved a few hundred thousand lives with that phone call. Scientists and Moderna are heroes, but the entire U.S. pharma complex came together to win that war. But it started with an idea.
In running my business, I’m exposed to a whole litany of ideas. We should be engaging with our leaders in government sharing the best ideas that we’ve been exposed to. This is one thing that I do think President (Donald) Trump did really well. He had an extensive Rolodex of people he spoke to, especially in business. Good leaders are always keeping their ears open for good ideas.
*** UPDATE 1 *** They’ve now edited out Griffin’s term limit comment without making note of it. That’s pretty darned dishonest.
Two years ago, Treasurer Frerichs joined with Governor Pritzker to support a radical $3 billion income tax increase plan on Illinois families. During that campaign, Frerichs even took the measure a step further by saying it could be ultimately used to tax retirement income—including pensions and 401ks. While voters temporarily stalled Frerichs’ call for taxing retirement income, State Representative and Republican candidate for Treasurer Tom Demmer wants to ensure that policy never impacts Illinois taxpayers.
Today, Demmer announced two new measures to block Frerichs’ retirement tax, including an online petition and also a House Resolution.
Demmer’s resolution, H.R. 753 asking the Illinois General Assembly to reaffirm Illinois residents’ overwhelming rejection of the progressive tax amendment and Mike Frerich’s push to “discuss'’ taxing retirement income. Demmer also launched an online petition asking voters to register their opposition to Frerich’s tax on retirement income.
“Two years ago, the people of Illinois overwhelmingly rejected the Pritzker-Frerichs $3 billion income tax increase with one of the driving forces behind that opposition being that Mike Frerichs said the plan could open the door to taxing retirement income. As Illinois families suffer from inflation while simultaneously seeing their college savings plans administered by Treasurer Frerichs drop in value, now more than ever we need to take bold action to protect Illinois families from even more taxes—including a tax on retirement income,” said Demmer.
* OK, on to the press conference…
Tom Demmer says that Darren Bailey would make a good governor. The same Darren Bailey who would criminalize abortion for victims of rape and incest. The same Darren Bailey who hired people who assaulted our Capitol.
Demmer: "But, I think it's important to look at this in a larger context right now. During the primary, the largest supporter of the Bailey campaign were Democrats. Mike Frerichs and his Democratic allies played this game…" #twill
Demmer: "I think that this indicates that they're looking at this like a political game and putting politics over policy and the people." Demmer also said he is supporting Bailey in the November election because he believes @GovPritzker shouldn't be re-elected. #twill
This is a big challenge for the GOP ticket: Try to get the news media to continuously remind voters that Pritzker “supported” Bailey (by pointing out to Republican primary voters that Bailey was a Trump-loving, far-right Republican and Richard Irvin was flawed) while simultaneously glossing over the fact that they support Bailey’s election and believe he’d be a “good governor.”
* The Question: Do you think the Republicans can successfully make this case against the Democrats while still supporting the top of the ticket? Please be sure to explain your answer.
“If people are wondering why we don’t have an assault weapons ban, it’s because the Democrats have dropped the ball. Period,” said Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin.
WGN Investigates found in the past decade, there have been 27 bills submitted that would ban assault-style weapons. However, none have become law and most haven’t even been voted on.
“They’re hypocrites,” Durkin said.
State Representative Durkin is the rare Republican who says he could support a ban. Still, Democrats who hold a supermajority in Springfield and control legislation have buried bills in committees.
“Assault weapons bans, right now they’re all gung ho about it – JB Pritzker, Speaker Welch, the Senate – they’re all heroes after the fact,” Durkin said. “When they had the chamber for the last 12 years and these bills were sitting there introduced, waiting to be called for a hearing, the Democrats refused to bring it up for action.”
* House Speaker Welch’s spokesperson Jaclyn Driscoll…
Leader Durkin voted against an extended waiting period for assault weapons, a ban on bump stocks, red flag awareness, and didn’t vote to ban ghost guns.
Still, the Speaker was encouraged to read in media reports that we can count on the minority leader’s vote when the assault weapons ban goes up on the board. Representative Maura Hirschauer will be reaching out to Leader Durkin and we look forward to him signing on in support of HB5522.
In the meantime, instead of playing political games in the media on such a tragic and sensitive issue, it might be more productive if Durkin spent more time working to build consensus amongst the caucus he’s supposed to be leading.
Electricity set to be generated by a downstate solar farm will power more than 425 large city-owned buildings and facilities in Chicago by 2025 under a deal worth $422.2 million announced Monday by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Lightfoot and Pritzker, who are both running for re-election, put aside their tense relationship and joined forces to announce the deal with Constellation and Swift Current Energy that they said would start to reverse climate change, which scientists say has already begun to cause disasters such as floods and strong storms.
Pritzker called the deal an “enormously positive development” that proves a 2021 bill that he signed into law that sets a goal of 2045 for Illinois to have all its energy from renewable sources will be effective — while setting aside 10% of jobs for workers from areas of Chicago and Illinois that suffer from disinvestment.
Starting in 2025, the city will use 300 megawatts it plans to purchase from Constellation to power O’Hare and Midway airports, the Harold Washington Library Center and the Jardine Water Purification Plant near Navy Pier with solar power set to be generated by Swift Current Energy in Sangamon and Morgan counties, officials said.
-The City has signed an energy supply agreement with an initial five-year term with Constellation beginning in January 2023.
-As part of the agreement with Constellation, beginning in 2025, the City will partially source its large energy uses such as the airports, Harold Washington Library Center and Jardine Water Purification Plant with clean, renewable energy from a new solar generation installation currently being developed by Swift Current Energy in downstate Sangamon and Morgan counties.
-Construction of the solar project is expected to start before the end of 2022 and is anticipated to create hundreds of jobs in Illinois.
-The City will also procure Renewable Energy Credits from other sources for its remaining power uses, such as small and medium-sized buildings and streetlights.
-Swift Current Energy will own and operate Double Black Diamond Solar, which at 593 megawatts, is expected to be one of the largest solar projects in Illinois to date.
The announcement comes nearly a year after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation that aims to put Illinois on a path to 100% carbon-free energy by 2050, with coal, oil and natural gas power plants scheduled to close over the coming decades. It also seeks to boost the development of wind and solar energy across the state, put more electric vehicles on the road and make it easier for Black and Latino workers and businesses to enter the renewable energy industry.
By and large, coal plants would have to shut down by 2030, while natural gas plants would have until 2045. When the General Assembly passed the energy bill in September 2021, it also called for a nearly $700 million bailout of three nuclear power plants that at the time were owned by Exelon, the parent company of ComEd, plagued by a jobs-for-bribes scandal that has led to millions of dollars in fines for the electricity giant and a series of criminal indictments, including against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. In February, Constellation split from Exelon and Constellation retained Illinois the power plants in the deal.
The federal budget package approved by the U.S. Senate Sunday also includes hundreds of billions of dollar in initiatives to address climate change. The legislation must still pass the House of Representatives.
Work on the solar farm will start in a few months, creating nearly 1,000 jobs, Pritzker said.
“And by 2025, hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans will get their energy needs met by an entirely renewable energy source. It’s momentous. … Illinois is a leader in the clean energy revolution. In this state, we take seriously the looming threats of the climate crisis.”
The new five-year contract is “a historic moment in our city’s obligation to combat climate change with concrete, tangible steps toward a renewable future,” Lightfoot said.
But, the mayor warned, “It can’t just be about the government. Although we have an important role to play, each of us needs to step up and do our part. We must work as hard as we possibly can to mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change, which we see manifest almost every single day across the country and across our world.”
Without Pritzker’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and its “explicit attention toward economic equity and climate justice,” the landmark agreement would not have been possible, the mayor said.
“I am incredibly proud to advance this commitment to transitioning all city operations to 100% renewable energy by 2025,” Lightfoot said. “The signing of this agreement demonstrates that the City of Chicago is leading by example and driving high-impact climate action, building the clean energy workforce of the future and equitably distributing meaningful benefits to foster the local clean energy economy for all.”
“We are providing a clean energy solution that will help the City of Chicago,” said Chief Commercial Officer of Constellation Energy Jim McHugh.
The mayor’s office also said the deal will also provide renewable energy to other major organizations throughout the state.
“As the owner or operator of over 425 facilities city-wide, including City Hall and one of the world’s busiest airports, it is imperative that we as city leaders take all
measures necessary to decarbonize our assets and to mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change,” said Sandra Blakemore, acting commissioner for the city’s Department of Assets, Information & Services.
Additionally, the city plans to buy renewable energy credits from other sources for its remaining power uses, such as small and medium-sized buildings and streetlights, according to a news release.
Constellation and Swift Current Energy will also fund job training, apprenticeships, education and various other programs in Chicago that will focus on developing and nurturing a sustainability-focused workforce, officials said.
New York and Los Angeles have invested more—and more consistently, in a data-driven way—in an ecosystem of nonenforcement services. These outreach programs, which emphasize prevention and intervention, directly invest in communities with the highest levels of violence. These strategies have been implemented to complement the police, not replace them. […]
[Roseanna Ander, founding executive director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab] pointed to L.A.’s “Gang Reduction and Youth Development” program as an effective example of nonenforcement services. GRYD provides gang prevention and intervention services in 23 designated areas of the city. The program works to prevent gang-joining among youth ages 10 through 15, and to reduce gang-embeddedness among people ages 14 through 25.
However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Chicago created the Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC), which fights against gun-violence using data and community-driven strategies. “CSCC and other social program investments (in Chicago) are still in their early days, though it seems like an encouraging step consistent with the non-enforcement investments and efforts of Los Angeles and New York City,” Ander said.
Ander also noted New York City’s and L.A.’s improved policing as a hypothesis for lower homicide rates. “As the accountability and progress of policing improved, community trust improved. If you can do a better job of clearance and closure, it can help break a retaliatory cycle,” Ander said.
As for the Chicago Police Department: “We continue to see vestiges of the machine,” Ander added, referring to the “boss” politics of Chicago during the late 19th and early 20th century. Promotions within the department may not necessarily reflect quality-of-work performance. “Stepped-up investments in outreach are a step in the right direction, but we still need to improve the quality of policing.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is boasting about what his Illinois Family Relief Plan means, but a little math shows it means $35.52 a month in savings for the average family at the same time inflation is eating $90 from their budget.
So, now they’re saying it’s an annual savings of $426.24 for an average family, but they said it was $556 per household a few months ago.
Whatever the case, I personally think scoffing at annual savings of even $426.24 for the average Illinois family might not go over so well. The state can’t be a total backstop.
Hoping to at least partially reset a campaign that now appears well behind, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Darren Bailey cranked up his rhetoric on rising crime rates, asserting that a markedly new approach is needed if “chaos” is to be ended.
Bailey tied Gov. J.B. Pritzker to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, dubbing them “the three musketeers of crime,” while for the first time laying out a specific list of changes he would seek to enact.
While billed by his campaign as a news conference, Bailey declined to take questions from reporters Monday morning, just as he did at a campaign event in the Chicago area on Sunday. He did not address the federal investigation involving Sims.
Bailey instead called Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx the “three musketeers of crime” in Chicago.
“Do you feel safer than you did four years ago? Has your quality of life gotten better over the last four years?” Bailey asked in his remarks at Chicago’s FOP headquarters. “For most Illinoisans, you know as well as I do, the answer is a pretty quick ‘no.’ ”
Bailey again said that, if elected, he will move to repeal the criminal justice law, a goal that is almost certainly unrealistic given that Democrats are expected to maintain overwhelming control of both legislative chambers.
“It breaks my heart to see and watch what’s happening to our neighborhoods and our law enforcement members,” Bailey said. “JB Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot, and Kim Foxx - well, they’ve become the three musketeers of crime with chaos, tragedy, and crime in Chicago. As shootouts and mayhem terrorize the city, the trio have more than turned their backs on our police officers.”
Bailey claimed Pritzker, Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Foxx have actively attacked, threatened and endangered the lives of police officers. The Pritzker campaign quickly said Bailey’s real record shows staggering inaction and contradiction. Campaign Press Secretary Eliza Glezer said Illinois deserves better. […]
Although, Pritzker had the opportunity to respond to Bailey’s criticism during an unrelated press conference Monday afternoon. The Democratic governor said Illinois voters have seen that Bailey is a hypocrite.
“When he says he is pro-public safety and then votes against expanding our crime labs, votes against adding police, votes against us being able to solve crimes quickly, he is not somebody that actually has public safety in mind,” Pritzker said. “He’s a hypocrite on so many things. He’s somebody that thinks that abortion is a greater tragedy than the Holocaust.”
The Illinois FOP has buyer’s remorse over its previous support for Gov. JB Pritzker.
“It’s time we have a governor who places the rights of citizens before those of criminals, a governor who helps police officers do their jobs rather than punishing them,” said Chris Southwood, Illinois FOP president.
“If lax prosecutors like Kim Foxx don’t want to prosecute violent offenders, that won’t be an option when I’m governor,” Bailey said.
“My first order of business will be to file legislation allowing residents to recall Kim Foxx. We will create an office of statewide prosecutor under the state attorney general’s office with the power to prosecute crime … if prosecutors like Kim Foxx refuse to do their jobs.”
Bailey said he’d repeal the SAFE-T Act and reinstate cash bail; repeal limits on pre-trial detention for violent criminals; prioritize state funds to hire and retain officers by increasing a sign-on and retention bonus; and work to end anonymous complaints against police.
Pritzker signed the SAFE-T Act, a criminal justice package aimed at addressing longstanding public safety issues and police distrust, into law last year. Republicans and some state’s attorneys are concerned about the act’s provision to end cash bail beginning in January 2023. The law also requires body cameras at all departments by 2025, reforms use-of-force standards and expands detainee rights.
Bailey also said he’d increase penalties for those who assault law enforcement and reinstate the death penalty for convicted cop killers. He’d also get cameras on all public transit vehicles.
But, again, he refused to take questions so no details could be sussed out.
Illinois FOP President Chris Southwood said Bailey “supports public safety, law enforcement and sanity, three things that are definitely not priorities for the current administration.”
Meanwhile, Lightfoot noted that Bailey had sponsored legislation in 2019 to split Illinois into Chicago and the rest of the state. “Does that tell you that’s a guy that wants to lead this great state? No,” she said.
* Full Lightfoot quote…
Let me just jump in on on that last question regarding Darren Bailey. And Governor, you’ll get you’ll get a kick out of this. I’ve met the guy twice.
The first time was the first time that I went to Springfield, as mayor, and he came up with another gleeful little pack. They called themselves The Secessionists. And at that time, they were advocating for, you remember this right? They wanted to secede from the state of Illinois. So does that tell you that that’s a guy that wants to actually leave this great state? No.
The second time I met him was in the House Republican caucus, where he aggressively, literally came up to confront me, because, he said, quote unquote, I don’t like the way you talk about my president. He was talking about President Trump, to which I said, ‘I don’t like the way your President is talking about my city. And if he continues to, I’m gonna keep talk calling him out every single day.’
So here’s a guy that the day after the primary, says ‘Oh, I want to meet with Mayor Lightfoot.’ And then today when he gets the FOP endorsement he’s fire and brimstone about how terrible Chicago is? Well, which Darren Bailey is showing up? Right?
It’s not a person, who by the way, educates himself about anything related to the city of Chicago. Newsflash, Darren: homicides down 16%, shootings down 20%. And we are going to do better this year. Newsflash, Darren Bailey, you want to be the governor of this state but you continually attack and denigrate 50% or 60% of the state economy. And if you add in Chicagoland it’s about 80%.
So the politics of division and dystopia, which he keeps swinging towards, depending on which base he’s pandering to, they don’t match up with their realities on the ground in our city. And I don’t think they match up with the reality on the ground in cities across the state and the progress that we’ve made coming out of the pandemic, precisely because of our leadership, the governor’s leadership and the leadership of mayors across the state.
But also, what you see is a guy who depending on what camera’s in front of him, what audiences he’s in front of, is going to say and do anything to pander to that crowd. So his Republican right-wing money is drying up. So now suddenly moving away from, ‘Oh, I want to meet with the mayor and talk to her,’ to ‘Oh, this is a hellhole and we’ve got to throw all the bums out.’ This is this feckless person. No, no way, no how deserves to be taken seriously. And he certainly doesn’t deserve anyone’s vote to be governor of this state We have a governor that’s leading us and he’s standing right here. His name is JB Pritzker.
Sounds like she really wants that Pritzker endorsement.
“The attempted extermination of the Jews in World War II doesn’t even compare on a shadow of the lives that have been lost with abortions,” he said in 2017.
Bailey’s remarks were widely condemned. On Monday, the candidate left his FOP appearance without taking questions from the media.
Bailey’s campaign promises to take questions from reporters again soon.
* The Vote Yes for Workers Rights constitutional amendment PAC has reported raising $1.7 million since the end of June, when it reported having $2.9 million in the bank after buying $4 million in TV ads in advance of the fall campaign to obtain lower rates. So, as of today, they’ve got somewhere around $3.6 million to spend, with more likely on the way.
Here’s their first ad, which is up on cable with a two-week buy of $174K in Chicago, Rockford, Peoria-Bloomington and Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur…
* Here’s the script, which features a health care working explaining the issue to viewers…
These kids are fighters. We work with them so they can make it to their next birthday. We see these kids as family, but hospitals see them as dollar signs. They cut corners. Fewer nurses, longer shifts. It’s not safe for these kids. When we speak up, we risk being fired. But the Workers’ Rights Amendment will protect us as we stand up for our patients. I shouldn’t lose my job for putting them first. That is my job.
At the top of the ballot, vote yes on the Workers’ Rights Amendment. Protect the workers who protect us
Q: Do you think the Jewish community needs an apology on that?
Bailey: [Laughs] The Jewish community themselves have told me that I’m right. Actually, that ad went out a day before we met with the Jewish, a day after we met with the Jewish community. And Pritzker, you know, knew that. So the timeliness was no mistake and all the people at the Chabads [he mispronounces as Cabads] that we met with and the Jewish rabbis they said, ‘No, you’re actually right.’ So no, and that’s what’s frustrating, you know, when government, when elected officials copy and paste these messages and turn them into something that they’re not because anybody that would watch my message, the whole nine minutes of it, would understand exactly what I was saying and where I was going with this.
OK, first of all, we’ve already debunked the notion that his comments were taken out of context. Click here.
I’ve asked the Bailey campaign for the names of those rabbis.
* Pritzker campaign…
Over the weekend, when asked again about his disgusting comments comparing the Holocaust to abortion, Darren Bailey doubled down, saying plainly:
“The Jewish community themselves have told me that I’m right.”
Bailey not only doubled down on his abhorrent statement, but scoffed when he said:
“The Jewish rabbis, they said, ‘No, you’re actually right.’”
Bailey’s comments have garnered widespread criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Over the weekend, Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso became the latest Republican to join the chorus of voices condemning Bailey: “Republicans who think they can get elected in November on their own merit must decide whether to distance themselves from and disavow the albatross at the top of the ticket.”
Mayor Grasso’s comments follow State Representative Steve Reick’s staunch criticism that, “Darren Bailey has crossed a line, a line which you just do not cross.” Even House Minority Leader Jim Durkin rebuked Bailey and stated that,“the Holocaust was one of the worst atrocities in the history of humankind and any comments that minimize it have no place in our political discourse.”
While Bailey may claim that the Jewish community told him he was “right,” non-partisan organizations and community leaders from across the state have strongly denounced his offensive language.
Here’s what they’re saying:
• Anti-Defamation League Midwest “The Holocaust and abortion are not the same. These types of comments have no place in public discourse. They are deeply offensive and do an incredible disservice to the millions of Jews and other innocent victims killed by the Nazis.”
• Springfield Jewish Federation “Holocaust comparisons are always fraught, and inappropriate when used politically. The Holocaust’s many lessons must be taught, one of which is avoiding using it as a rhetorical tool.”
• President Emeritus of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center Samuel R. Harris “I am pained and disturbed by Darren Bailey’s reckless comments. This despicable rhetoric is dangerous, trivializes one of the worst stains on human history, and disparages the memory of millions. It is imperative that we learn from the past so that we never allow such tragedy to befall us again. We must demand more from our elected officials.”
• Governor JB Pritzker “To equate the Holocaust to a woman’s right to choose is not only disturbing, but it’s also disqualifying. Illinois, this kind of false equivalence shows exactly the type of man and leader Darren Bailey is.”
• U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth “Comparing the extreme horror of the Holocaust and its immeasurable loss to a woman’s right to choose is unacceptable—full stop. I urge my opponent, Kathy Salvi, to denounce Darren Bailey’s comments, but know she’s lockstep with her Republican running mate on women’s healthcare.”
• Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky “Darren Bailey has spent years sifting between racist and anti-Semitic dogwhistles and bullhorns. He’s unfit to lead and must be soundly defeated.”
• Congressman Mike Quigley “Darren Bailey’s remarks are anti-semitic and deeply offensive. He is in serious need of a history lesson.”
• Congressman Sean Casten “This is the talk of a racist and a misogynist. Darren Bailey may also be a idiot, but that doesn’t excuse his behavior. In all cases, he is unfit for public office.”
• Congresswoman Marie Newman “This alone should end Bailey’s career in public service. Horrifying.”
• IL Comptroller Susana Mendoza “Darren Bailey’s reprehensible comparison of a woman’s right to make health care decisions concerning her own bodily autonomy to the horrific genocide of the Jewish people is a false equivalency to the highest degree. His statements are appalling, despicable and oozing of anti-semitism. Any and all Republicans seeking Illinoisians’ vote this November need to publicly condemn these extremist statements coming from the top of their ticket. Anything short of a forceful condemnation is an endorsement of this dangerous rhetoric that further insults the suffering and memories of victims of the Holocaust atrocity.”
• IL Attorney General Kwame Raoul “Darren Bailey is an extremist hell bent on destroying women’s rights. His comments comparing the horrific loss of life in the Holocaust to the right to choose make clear he is unfit and incapable for any office – let alone the governor’s office. The extremism of Bailey & his Republican Party is offensive & dangerous.”
• Assistant Majority Leader and DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez “The Democratic Party of Illinois is one of inclusion that will always speak out against intolerance. Illinoisans deserve to know if Republicans will stand by and allow offensive, hurtful and antisemitic statements made by their nominee for governor to go without admonishment or condemnation. Now that we’ve seen Darren Bailey’s antisemitic values and disregard for Jewish life, does the ILGOP agree?”
• State Representative Jen Gong-Gershowitz “Darren Bailey’s shameful use of the Holocaust proves he is unfit to lead Illinois.”
• State Representative Bob Morgan “Darren Bailey’s extremism knows no bounds. Comparing a woman’s right to choose to the catastrophic loss of life during the Holocaust is unconscionable and quite frankly, disqualifying. It is demeaning to the legacies of those we’ve lost to reduce their suffering to a political talking point. Darren Bailey is once again causing harm with his callous words and actions and he must be held accountable for this abhorrent behavior.”
• Personal PAC President and CEO Terry Cosgrove “It’s bad enough that GOP Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey believes abortion should be criminalized in Illinois, even in cases of rape and incest, but now he is demeaning the Holocaust and the memory of those who were lost in and survived one of the greatest stains in human history. As someone who grew up in the Skokie area, an American epicenter of Holocaust survivors during the late 60s and early 70s, and attending Niles West High School then, I can’t even fathom the pain of hearing Darren Bailey’s comment: ‘The attempted extermination of the Jews of World War II doesn’t even compare on a shadow of the life that has been lost with abortion.’ Personal PAC joins Governor Pritzker, the Jewish community and all decent Illinoisians in condemning the irresponsible and contemptuous comments of Darren Bailey. People who hold these dangerous views should have absolutely no place in government.”
• President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action Jennifer Welch“Darren Bailey’s comparison between abortion and the Holocaust is an outrageously inaccurate and harmful trope used by the most radical elements of the anti-choice movement to propagate misinformation and hateful rhetoric about fundamental reproductive health care and the people seeking safe and legal abortions. The appropriation of the Holocaust is despicable and an insult to the millions who died as well as those who survived its racist agenda. In addition, it reveals a complete lack of understanding of history and the realities of the lives of people seeking abortion care. These kinds of statements are unbecoming of any elected official, let alone a candidate running for Governor of Illinois. Darren Bailey should immediately apologize for his inappropriate and hurtful words.”
• Illinois NOW President Laura Welch “Enough using the holocaust to justify hate. Enough using the slaughter of six million Jews, gypsies, lgbtq folks in an attempt to sway voters. Enough lies about history to cover up a disdain for women and our rights. Video released of republican candidate for Governor, Darren Bailey comparing the holocaust to reproductive healthcare goes too far and he needs a history lesson. Illinois NOW says ENOUGH…IL NOW works to ensure our state remains a safe haven for abortion care and not the dystopian anti-woman society Mr. Bailey dreams of…It is appalling that Mr. Bailey believes it is ok to use one of the most horrific annihilations in modern history to justify keeping us barefoot, pregnant and subjected to the whims of his religion. We MUST vote for pro-choice candidates such as IL NOW PAC endorsed JB Pritzker and keep religious zealotry out of our government and our bodies.”
…Adding… More…
.@RepTimButler adds it was also unwise for Bailey to equate abortion and the Holocaust
No, @DarrenBaileyIL, you’re not “right” to belittle the deaths of 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, including my great-grandparents. More clear for you? https://t.co/CKK8EdtGCn
What you see is a guy who, depending on what camera’s in front of him, what audiences he’s in front of, is going to say and do anything to pander to that crowd.
She makes a good point and the Chicago news media needs to figure this out. He’ll tell Chicago reporters that he’s sorry for something, and then he’ll go Downstate and say something completely different and Chicago-based reporters totally ignore it.
Rabbi Avraham Kagan, the director of government affairs for Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois, told the Forward, “We don’t know who he met with and his comments do not reflect our position.”
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