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Illinois separatist interviewed on Fox News show

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* Eastern Bloc leader Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) was on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program last night…

CARLSON: I mean, part of the reason, the impetus for this has got to be financial. I mean, nobody wants to be saddled with the debt. They’re really unresolvable, debt problems that Chicago has, I assume that’s part of this, right?

HOLBROOK: Well, part of it. Yes, I mean, you know, Chicago is drowning in debt. They’re drowning in unfunded pension liabilities. Illinois is same, you know, there’s a $250 billion by some estimates of unfunded pension liabilities, and it continues to grow every day.

You know, that’s part of it. The financial aspect is a big factor. But we see kind of an overreaching population out of the city that kind of has a different idea about how to live their life, and they continue to impose their will on us.

You know, when it comes to the life and unborn, the Second Amendment, minimum wage is a big issue. And they’re just many other issues that they — that they’re having in the city that we’re just not having in the rest of the state of Illinois.

CARLSON: So fewer drive-by shootings outside of Chicago, I would imagine. So how does Chicago feel about this?

HOLBROOK: Well, there’s folks in Chicago, I get e-mail and phone calls every day that say, “Hey, we live in Chicago. We live in Cook County, we’re with you.” We do get some folks that call or e-mail say it’s a bad idea, be careful what we wish for. But we’re getting way more positive e- mail, comments - social media comments, way more positive than the negative.

CARLSON: I mean, Chicago as a state, what would that look like? Would that be the most dysfunctional state out of 51?

HOLBROOK: Some might say that.

CARLSON: Some might say that. You know what, I like your reticence, your subtlety. You’re obviously not from Chicago. Representative, thank you very much. Good to see you tonight.

HOLBROOK: Thank you.

I got news for you, Rep. Halbrook: Bruce Rauner still would’ve lost last year with Chicago votes not counted. Suburban Cook County and most of the collars aren’t on board with much of your agenda.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:32 pm

Comments

Thanks for the laugh.

Comment by pawn Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:38 pm
Just wait til the robots take over all the farming…

Comment by Ok Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:39 pm
==You know what, I like your reticence, your subtlety. ==

This is so spectacular. And coming from the paragon of subtlety himself.

==So fewer drive-by shootings outside of Chicago==

Legitimate question - I mean, I guess. Does Tucker think Chicagoans drive to other parts of the state to conduct drive-bys, and - a follow up - how would this be prevented by the creation of two states?

“Well, I was going to go down to Shelbyville do a drive-by, but now that it’s across state lines, I guess, I shan’t?”

What a time to be alive and not have a cable subscription.

Comment by lakeside Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:39 pm
Gotta love the “drive-by shootings” dog whistle.

Comment by The Orthogonian Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:40 pm
For some reason, the transcript spells Halbrook with an o instead of an a, and Tucker with a T instead of an F.

Strange.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:43 pm
Man, their dog whistles have dog whistles.

Comment by Rasselas Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:45 pm
I bet Holbrook puts catsup on his hotdog.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:48 pm
Funny how $10-20 thousand per capita debt on the State and local level is “drowning in debt” but adding $3 thousand per capita debt per year on the Federal level is of no concern whatsoever.

Not too mention that non-Chicago Illinois is fiscally impossible.

Comment by Quizzical Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:48 pm
CARLSON: I mean, part of the reason, the impetus for this has got to be financial. I mean, nobody wants to be saddled with the debt. They’re really unresolvable, debt problems that Chicago has, I assume that’s part of this, right?

HOLBROOK: Well, part of it. Yes, I mean, you know, Chicago is drowning in debt. They’re drowning in unfunded pension liabilities. Illinois is same, you know, there’s a $250 billion by some estimates of unfunded pension liabilities, and it continues to grow every day.

Here’s why as a Chicagoan I strongly support this separation idea: of the five state pension funds (TRS, GARS, SURS, JRS & SERS) the largest and most in debt is TRS (of the $133.5 billion state pension unfunded liability, $75 billion comes from TRS). TRS funds the retirement of every teach in Illinois … except Chicago teachers.

[whispers] If we separate, and I’m in favor of this, and we prorate the debt on who lives where we Chicagoans get to walk away from all the TRS debt. Bye.

Comment by The Captain Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:48 pm
Okay. This the the Shelbyville up the road from Springfield? The one Homer Simpson lives in, right? Because these can’t be real people.

Comment by Cheryl44 Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:48 pm
* –Eastern Bloc leader Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) was on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program last night…–

And they talked about their deep, deep concerns on debt, a well-known passion of Republicans and the prime time Fox White Power Hours.

Halbrook has no reticence on peddling the lie that there is a Constitutional process for expelling Chicago from Illinois.

There is, however, a process to form a new state out of Illinois.

When are we going to see the proposed borders for the new state? Shouldn’t that be first? That way, citizens and elected reps. can weigh in.

Is that going to be unveiled on The Nightly Grand Mal with Lou Dobbs?

Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:49 pm
Dear Ms. McCombie,

You support this.

You own this too.

Congratulations.

Oswego Willy

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:50 pm
Tucker must certainly be in line to take Steve Croft’s place on 60 Minutes. His insight and preparedness make him a shoo in.

Comment by don the legend Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:51 pm
===catsup===

Ketchup.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:51 pm
I’m from central Illinois and I’m not on board with his agenda.
Those positive emails he’s getting are from people who believe candidates should be elected based on the number of counties they carry ( never mind one person one vote) and/or have no clue that the northeast part of the state pays more to the state than that area gets back.

Comment by thoughts matter Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:52 pm
==Suburban Cook County and most of the collars aren’t on board with much of your agenda.==

Even Hallbrook’s hometown paper the Shelbyville Daily Union calls this idea goofy.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:53 pm
Dear Mr. Demmer,

How does this taste? Good?

Being old, angry, rural, white won’t get ya to 60… but… you also were a solid Raunerite, so understanding how to get to a majority is… tough.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 24, 19 @ 12:54 pm
Some safe Democrat really needs to introduce a bill and force these guys to address the fact that their districts would be even more destitute without Cook and the Collar counties.

Comment by Anon Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:00 pm
It doesn’t really matter, does it? This story is clickbate. The bill won’t get any votes and the petition is advisory but he’ll fundraise off of it because voters don’t know any better and newspapers aren’t really reporting any of this. Most of Halbrook’s money comes from Chicago, doesn’t it?

Comment by anonymous Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:00 pm
I say good for Halbrook. He’s smart enough to realize that the gomers of the 102nd district don’t want to vote on policy or statesmanship, they want to vote on their own anti-American grievances against places where the people don’t look like they do. Halbrook is buying himself a state rep. seat for life with this stuff. In 4 or 8 years he’ll probably be a shoo-in for US congress. It’s fantastic politics, and he should be applauded for recognizing how easy it is to pull off.

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:00 pm
Let’s revisit Ms. McCombie.

It’s important to this “thing” because Ms. McCombie is encouraging all this

Ms. McCombie owns the angry, white, old, rural too…

===- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 21, 19 @ 1:24 pm

===This is a political bill. As the political arm of the Illinois House Republicans, it is my responsibility to remind Chicago that there is more to Illinois than Chicago.===

Let’s look at the utterly thoughtless Ms. McCombie’s thoughts.

lol

“This is a political bill.”

So, you have ZERO intention to *want* to form a new state. That’s what this says. It’s political, not intended to be anything thoughtful to a problem, or rational as a solution. Got it.

“As the political arm of the Illinois House Republicans, it is my responsibility to remind Chicago…”

Ok, I’m gonna stop ya there.

You took in 38% of your fundraising from, you guessed it, She-Caw-Go. Where did you think it came, and where do all these She-Caw-Go-ans think their dollars were headed? Who exactly are you reminding of what? According to vote totals, GOP recruitment, and a sheer lack of a GOP presence to be involved in Chicago… no, wait for it… politically… I’m confused who is teaching who what, and last… where *exactly* is it written the the head of the HRO is in the business of teaching anything to anyone?

Did you even think about how words work, are ya too fixed on appeasing the ole … angry, white, old ,rural folks?

“that there is more to Illinois than Chicago”

Oh.

Chicago knows.

More tax dollars go outside She-Caw-Go for those old, angry, white, rural folks than She-Caw-Go keeps for itself.

They know. Honest.

Questions?

I’ll use smaller words if that’ll help.===

Ms. McCombie… you are not helping.

You own this too.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:04 pm
Thank you, Holbrook, Carlson and Fox News, for fulfilling Putin’s game plan by elevating reactionary bigots who want to tear this country apart.

Comment by VerySmallRocks Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:11 pm
The EasternBLocHeads carried on today votin’ a bill to let all U of I students serve as voting trustees. Smooth move boys

Comment by Annonin' Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:15 pm
Wake me up before we She-Caw-go-go.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:25 pm
@Lester Holt’s Mustache
== Halbrook is buying himself a state rep. seat for life with this stuff. ==
Not when it turns out to be a scam.

Comment by anonymous Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:27 pm
Drive-by shootings? I have friends in Logan Square, Ravenswood, Lakeview, and Wrigleyville and they’ve never mentioned drive-bys. Oh, wait, that was a dog whistle, wasnt it?

Comment by Harvest76 Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:31 pm
@da big bad wolf: The Shelbyville Daily Union editorial was published about a week after the same editorial appeared in the Effingham Daily News. The two newspapers share resources. I just find it interesting that Effingham, of all places, thinks the idea is goofy.

Comment by Steve Rogers Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:37 pm
==They’re drowning in unfunded pension liabilities==
Did you wake up in another state (other than denial)? The correct pronoun is “we’re”.

Maybe “they’re” pushing the gun sanctuary angle so they can (collectively) rob Chicago banks once they’ve achieved statehood.

Comment by Jocko Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:39 pm
Sorry, I meant to link the editorial. It’s a good read, especially since it points out the disparity between what state dollars Cook gets back and what state dollars Shelby gets back.

https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/opinion/editorials/our-view-talk-of-jettisoning-chicago-as-st-state-has/article_22f9b923-8e22-53b3-9e16-c38cf22f2218.html

Comment by Steve Rogers Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:39 pm
Halbrook doesn’t want the surburbanities, either. Who remembers the GOP Intra-party “tussels” over Peaker Power Plants and CAFOs?

Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:40 pm
Let’s start small, with the state of Shelbyville, and see how that goes.

Comment by Blue Bayou Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:43 pm
So Shebyville Daily Union and Effingham Daily News have the same editorial board?

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:43 pm
Chicago has the 9th largest GDP of any city in the world. And yet, since we sent a black President to the White House, the opposing party and downstaters have been intent on sabotaging its international reputation. It is unprecedented, treacherous and self-destructive.

Comment by Anon Friday, May 24, 19 @ 1:45 pm
$2,086.12 in campaign funds at the end of Q1 + Red meat district = trying any stunt possible to attempt viability.

Mr. Halbrook may be getting on Fox, but his message isn’t bringing in any bucks. In Q4 2018 he only received $200 from within the 102nd, but accepted $3,000 from a PAC in Chicago - which accounted for 70% of itemized transfers in for that period. Halbrook’s committee also transferred out $5,380 to PAC’s in Chicago, accounting for 96% of itemized transfers out.

Perhaps Mr. Halbrook needs Chicago more than he leads on, or perhaps more could be done to improve economic conditions in the 102nd such that the downstate separation movement could actually be funded by downstate…

Comment by Midstate Indy Friday, May 24, 19 @ 2:02 pm
“It is unprecedented, treacherous and self-destructive.” Indeed, but it’s all they got.

Comment by Skeptic Friday, May 24, 19 @ 2:05 pm
OW I’m going to start calling you OW-san
You sir are a fricking Samurai.
I love watching you slice through your opponants
so cleanly
that the two sides
just
slide apart gracefully
not a jagged edge anywhere
laser clean cut
then there’s always a little gesture at the end of each post.
It’s like that Samurai move
of putting the sword back in the scabbard.
Smooth clean precise
with zen like control.
So incredibly cool to witness.

I bow deeply

Comment by Honeybear Friday, May 24, 19 @ 2:06 pm
–I got news for you, Rep. Halbrook: Bruce Rauner still would’ve lost last year with Chicago votes not counted. Suburban Cook County and most of the collars aren’t on board with much of your agenda.–

That hadn’t occurred to me, but it’s true.

Take away all Chicago votes, and Pritzker still beats Rauner by 140K in 2018.

Comment by wordslinger Sunday, May 26, 19 @ 3:16 pm