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Gov. Blagojevich’s response to the president’s State of the Union address

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Illinois

From a press release:

â€œPresident Bushâ€™s plan to address the growing health care crisis in our country is disappointing. The plan he outlined tonight would do nothing to help the 1.4 million uninsured Illinoisans finally get access to coverage they can afford. In fact, his plan would discourage employers from offering quality healthcare coverage, could increase the number of uninsured and would mostly benefit the rich. At a time when healthcare costs are rapidly increasing and millions of families across the country are struggling to afford medical insurance, the Presidentâ€™s plan could put healthcare even further beyond reach for millions of Americans. Itâ€™s clear that the task of finding ways to help the middle-class afford healthcare will be left up to the states.

â€œIn Illinois, weâ€™re already leading the way in expanding access to affordable healthcare for working families. We have expanded healthcare coverage to more than 500,000 people in just the last four years, and now every uninsured child in the State can get affordable health coverage. Soon we will announce plans for extending healthcare access to every Illinoisan. We would welcome more support for our efforts from the federal government, but not at the expense of important programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

â€œAnd while the Presidentâ€™s proposals to boost the use of renewable fuels and reduce reliance on petroleum are steps in the right direction, this Administration has provided little more than lip service when it comes to meaningful energy reform. Our country as a whole is no closer to energy independence now than it was a year ago when the President declared that Americans are addicted to oil.

â€œHere in Illinois, weâ€™ve proposed an ambitious energy independence plan that calls for real fuel conservation and real investment in clean, renewable energy alternatives that protect consumers while significantly reducing greenhouse gases. We hope to see real leadership and investment from our federal government in technologies and strategies that will result in genuine energy independence.â€

Also, Sen. Durbin blogged his response at Daily Kos.

It wasn’t all serious.

Welcome Senator Durbin. WOOO HOOOO.
by Chamonix on Tue Jan 23, 2007 at 07:25:56 PM PST

Woo Hoo back at You.
by Dick Durbin on Tue Jan 23, 2007 at 08:02:29 PM PST

And, finally, did anyone else see Sen. Obama on TV last night? I caught him on CNN and MSNBC and his delivery seemed super-flat to me. It made me think that his attempt to move up the political ladder to the top rung has caused him to be too cautious, too hesitant to speak in his usual casual yet straightforward manner.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 23, 07 @ 10:19 pm

Comments

Is he serious?

He acts like he has more credibility than Bush. No one believes either of them when they talk.

Comment by uiucleader Tuesday, Jan 23, 07 @ 10:53 pm
Maybe the mayor of Herscher will issue a press release upon Blago’s State of the State speech.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Jan 23, 07 @ 11:52 pm
Props on the spelling of Herscher Six Degrees!

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 12:40 am
As someone who knows where Herscher is and has been there many times, particularly for the homecoming (Labor Day) parade, I got a particular kick out of that comment. Made me chuckle.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 12:57 am
So Blago is now so self-important he feels he needs to respond to the president’s SOTUA? Doesn’t he know that W’s numbers are in the dumper? Way to ride some coattails, Milarod!!!

Comment by Disgusted Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 5:07 am
Governor Rod should know about paying little more than lip service to important issues, given his track record for proposing programs people either don’t want or are unwilling to sign up for.

As for the response to Rod’s SOS address, I would actually expect to it come from the mayor of Goofy Ridge (yes, it’s a real place in central Illinois, although I doubt it has a mayor).

Comment by Roadkill Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 5:19 am
Anything short of free, quality health care for all is extremely disappointing.

Get back to me when he cares as much as the governor does about this problem.

Comment by Josh Reads Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 6:25 am
Look who talking about ‘Lip Service’.

Comment by anon #1 Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 6:37 am
Well my night of political spin is complete.Bush, Durbin and the gov. all speaking on the same night.Now if they could all 3 get together and figure out how to pay for all of this.Sorry I forgot our great grand kids are going to pay.

Comment by DOWNSTATE Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 6:45 am
I love G-Rod’s statement. He basically says that the President talks big, but doesn’t actually do anything. G-Rod then goes on to say that while he hasn’t done anything either, at least he’s a bigger talker than the President.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 7:27 am
A cautious Obama is an understatement.

The man is waffling all over the place, suggesting a presidency that would be paralyzed by his unwillingness to take a strong stand on anything that doesn’t have a 99 percent approval rating.

All that verbal fluency in the service of avoiding taking a real stand on anything is going to wear on us and soon.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 8:06 am
Barack is running out of cliches as the media edges toward asking him for some substance.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 8:32 am
Agreed on the Flat Obama. Saw him on CNN and ABC and he just didn’t seem into it. Charlie Gibson was even joking with him and he barely cracked a smile til the interview was over and the camera was panning away.

Straying off the Illinois reservation … I also thought McCain came off as dog-tired and out of sorts in his ABC interview. A lot of stumbling for words and acting like he just wanted to go to bed.

Clinton seemed the best of the bunch Gibson interviewed. She had a few jabs and appeared confident.

“Woo Hoo back at You.” - Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), displaying the “rabid insanity” for which Illinois conservatives constantly berate him and his constituents

Comment by NW burbs Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:03 am
Blagojevich - is he still governor?

Obama looked fine. What struck me was the constant references by pundits at the NINE presidential candidates at the Address. Instead of pointing out 1 or 2, they kept showing them all: Kerry, McCain, Brownback, Clinton, Obama, Dodd, Biden, Hunter, Hagel,and then gave Edwards and Giuliani special attention to reply, because they weren’t sitting in the crowd. Even as politically minded as I am, they all faded into one confusing mess. Of the interviews given, they all looked tired except Kerry and Clinton. (I think those two were freshly Botoxed - honestly.)

If I were Dick Durbin, I’d be completely bored. He seems to be just going through the motions. The man fought for years to get where he is, and now he is there. He can’t even look forward to 2008 and get excited. He seems to have no focus now. He showed up at a gathering of farmers last week, and seemed like he wanted to jump into a combine and do some work instead of returning to DC. Even all his anti-smoking proposals are passing. He acts bored. “Woo Hoo” reflects how excited he is.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:32 am
- Josh Reads - Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 6:25 am:

Anything short of free, quality health care for all is extremely disappointing.
_______________________________________________

Where is that guaranteed in the Constitution? Where does the Constitution give the government authority to levy taxes for such a purpose?

Comment by Fan of the Game Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:34 am
Re: Flat Attack on Barak. Guess what? Not only he, but Hillary, McCain, et.al. will now be under the white hot lights/heat from the press. Their entry into the race is like the gate swinging open into the Roman Arena - awaiting them is a voracious media: hungry, eager, and wide-eyed. To the candidates I say: “You asked for it”.

Comment by Buddy Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 9:38 am
I also noticed something especially mellow about Obama, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Interesting I wasn’t alone in the perception. But the same could be said about the whole affair. Webb was the only stand-out from the coverage I watched. As for Obama, I think this comes with the territory: he is still defining himself in national/international politics, which makes caution sensible. However, it is fair to wonder if he is truly “there yet.” I think he probably is, but his next several appearances will be telling…

Comment by Ambulance chaser Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:06 am
I think W’s speech just bored everyone into a prolonged stupor.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 10:25 am
Seemed like the same old vacuous Democrat obstruction and negativism - Not a bright idea out of the whole bunch, BO included.

Comment by Citizen A Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 3:01 pm
“President Bushâ€™s plan to address the growing health care crisis in our country is disappointing. The plan he outlined tonight would do nothing to help the 1.4 million uninsured Illinoisans finally get access to coverage they can afford.”

As bad as it might be, at least Bush has outlined a plan. Where is Blagojevich’s plan for universal coverage? Does Blagojevich support single-payor in Illinois.

Comment by Squideshi Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 3:25 pm
“President Bushâ€™s plan to address the growing health care crisis in our country is disappointing. The plan he outlined tonight would do nothing to help the 1.4 million uninsured Illinoisans finally get access to coverage they can afford.”

At least Bush has outlined a plan. Where is Blagojevich’s plan for universal coverage? Does Blagojevich support single-payor?

Comment by Squideshi Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 3:26 pm
Boy! You can say that again, Squid.

Comment by Citizen A Wednesday, Jan 24, 07 @ 4:41 pm