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Candidates react to debate

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* Rauner campaign…

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?”

Weak…

.@JBPritzker can’t give a clear explanation as to why he was seemingly the only person in Illinois who didn't know that Blagojevich was under investigation in 2008. #ILDemForum #twill #ilgov pic.twitter.com/4y2ERkNtRS

— Bruce Rauner (@BruceRauner) January 24, 2018

* Daniel Biss…

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.”

Here are the facts:

Pritzker supported the Republican-backed We Mean Business PAC, donating thousands of dollars to push pension reform.
Will this donation hurt Pritzker’s chances for guv? / Crains Chicago Business / 3.1.17

* 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 video…

I haven’t received anything from the Kennedy campaign tonight.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:12 pm

Comments

===“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.”===

When a…

Kennedy

When a Kennedy can be questioned about their own Democratic credentials… by their own words, words applauding a Republican governor they, or others, are trying to defeat… and that same Kennedy can’t praise a fellow Dem, even if they are challenging each other, against that Republican the Kennedy just praised…

That’s… how big of a boo-boo this is.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:19 pm
I watched the Kennedy praise clip again. The freeze before he begins speaking — is it because he wasn’t comfortable contorting the question as a platform to attack a candidate directly, couldn’t think of a compliment and pivoted to his anti-JB talking points, or is it just his natural method of speaking?

My money is on the first.

Comment by TKMH Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:24 pm
Biss had better be careful, since he took money from We Mean Business PAC. And really, it’s hard for the author of SB1 to complain about anyone else cutting pensions.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:30 pm
==That’s… how big of a boo-boo this is.==

Remember what you were saying about Kennedys excelling at the soaring rhetoric/grand vision stuff? That’s what’s going wrong here. CK is getting small and mean and technocratic, and it’s a bad fit, so he keeps bungling it. The “say something nice” question is asked at every debate. You gotta be prepared for it.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:32 pm
Someone please tell Biss that less is more. Kennedy is done. Wife liked JB and Tio. Lol

Comment by SameolG Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:38 pm
Kennedy made up my mind. I won’t be voting for him. I’m not committed to JB Pritzker, but his and his family’s philanthropy is worth complimenting, as Sen. Biss did. I have a Chicago calendar on my refridgerator. The picture for December is of the Jay Pritzker (JB’s father) pavilion. That’s worth mentioning.

Comment by Hottot Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:45 pm
Hottot, actually it’s JB’s uncle.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:52 pm
Kennedy has adopted Rauner’s campaign message, he’s praised Rauner for “speaking truth to power (whatever that means; Rauner’s the governor), and can’t come up with the obligatory “say a nice thing” about Pritzker.

So where’s the Rauner network money for Kennedy? Griff can’t pony up to “support the two-party system?” Bill Daley (who endorsed Rauner over Quinn last time) can’t raise better than beer money with that fancy resume?

Where’s the Cincinatti-lawyer dark money producing negative spots on Pritzker and Biss, like was done before on Schock, Brady, Dillard and Rutherford?

Kennedy’s doing his bit — is the check in the mail? He sure needs it, and soon.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:55 pm
Umm… Team Biss might want to explain why he took $15,000 from that same “Republican backed” We Mean Business PAC…

Comment by Concerned Dem Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 8:59 pm
=== I haven’t received anything from the Kennedy campaign tonight ===

And we haven’t seen anything that shows that Kennedy is ready for prime time.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 9:03 pm
== I haven’t received anything from the Kennedy campaign tonight ==

That in itself is a bad sign.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 9:22 pm
===Remember what you were saying about Kennedys excelling at the soaring rhetoric/grand vision stuff? That’s what’s going wrong here. CK is getting small and mean and technocratic, and it’s a bad fit, so he keeps bungling it. The “say something nice” question is asked at every debate. You gotta be prepared for it.===

It’s flat out puzzling… I woulda thought a Kennedy running as a Kennedy, a fierce fighter for Democratic ideals and party woulda been a slam dunk no brainer.

This mistake of running as Kennedy is… its puzzling.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 9:32 pm
Kennedy is looking like a phony democrat. Praising Rauner, but can’t raise a democrat?

Comment by Real Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 9:44 pm
==It’s flat out puzzling… I woulda thought a Kennedy running as a Kennedy, a fierce fighter for Democratic ideals and party woulda been a slam dunk no brainer.==

1) He’s mad that JB is running the campaign he thought he was entitled to; 2) His 25-year-old son is running the campaign.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 9:53 pm
===He’s mad that JB is running the campaign he thought he was entitled to===

There’s a lot of truth in that I imagine.

It’s frustrating, I’m guessing when you’re campaign is losing to the campaign you hoped to run.

I don’t think any 25-year old is taking up messaging with Rauner, so I think more is afoot then just the anger of his son(?)

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 9:58 pm
I don’t think the son is coordinating the message with Rauner (I don’t think anyone actually is) I just think he’s short-sighted and overly aggressive.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 10:01 pm
- Arsenal -

I guess my question is…

… what kind of campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor against Bruce Rauner feels the need to applaud Bruce Rauner?

It’s puzzling.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 10:06 pm
Kennedy is a joke. Any Dem praising Rauner should take a hike. Pritzker has this wrapped up. Bissell gets the Try Hard award. Everybody else go home.

Comment by Eddie Spaghetti Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 10:14 pm
Brutal response to the Blago question by Pritzker. He’s known this was coming for months, you’d think his team could’ve come up with a better response by now.

Comment by Dave W Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 10:21 pm
The Blago thing is going to be interesting to watch as it plays out in the general.

It still amazes me that Quinn was able to beat Brady after being Blago’s LtGov. Then again, Brady was more an Ives than a Rauner.

Comment by TaylorvilleTornado Tuesday, Jan 23, 18 @ 10:26 pm
Biss needs a communication coach ASAP. While bloviating talk/answers are acceptable in chambers, they are a distractor in debates. As commented earlier, less is better.
I still like Biss, but he needs to work on imaging if he wants to get into the big game.

Comment by DMAC57 Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 7:44 am
==It’s puzzling.==

It is. My suspicion is that there’s very little consideration behind it, they’re all just reacting out of emotion.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 8:26 am
It appears a good audience was watching this and the coverage on all of the 5 news stations gave this debate a lot of coverage in the newscast. My observation is that the Democratic loyal voters really are not sure where they want to throw their chips just yet.

This may have helped them a little bit. I’m guessing we’ll see clips of this for the next couple of months.

JB was JB. He’s not very good at this. Fortunately for him, Chris is worse at it. Despite his foibles, Chris continues to come across as way more sincere. That will help him with the folks who already like him.

JB didn’t blow it. That should please his people. Biss did predictably well IMO, and for those who “hated” his biggie, he fell on the sword. Probably not enough for the pensioners, but give him credit for doing it.

I did like the format where it gave them a chance to actually do some debating. All could have taken more advantage of it.

I’d conclude there was movement with no clear winner running away with it.

Comment by A guy Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:01 am
If Kennedy really wants JB to lose so badly, he should drop out and endorse Biss at this point. But he’s probably “enjoying” his pity party too much to think of that.

Comment by TopHatMonocle Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:11 am
Does Kennedy not realize that the only reason he’s a candidate is because he’s a Kennedy?

Comment by Natty_B Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:27 am
Not surprised JB would go after Biss - it’s straight out of the Madigan playbook: split the opposition. No matter how poorly Kennedy has performed, his name, endorsements, and yes Madigan-bashing, leave him still as JB’s biggest challenger and probably the only one with a chance to beat him.

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:36 am
There’s an expectation that goes along with the Kennedy name and it’s that expectation is enough to get attention. Unfortunately, Chris just isn’t capable of delivering on the promise. There’s no vision, no soaring rhetoric, no particular inspiration. His heart doesn’t see to be in it. And when he tries to take a populist stance he comes off as uniformed and unprepared. A consolidation of the Biss/Kennedy voters would be the most logical challenge to Pritzker. But I’m not sure if I see that happening anytime soon.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Jan 24, 18 @ 9:37 am