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Republicans may hold own hearings on COVID-19 response

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Illinois

With few other outlets, statehouse Republicans are considering their own public hearings with stakeholders if Democrats won’t address Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. […]

State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, floated the idea with his fellow House Republicans to let their Democratic colleagues know they want public hearings. If there’s no response, he said the GOP needs to hold their own public hearings “where we have people in to talk about these issues.”

“I’m sure there’s plenty of people involved that would want to talk about these issues,” Butler told WMAY. “If the Democrats don’t want to join us in holding people responsible, I think we need to have our own, and get the issues out there, and hold our own hearings.” […]

State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, said having the GOP lawmakers hold their own hearings is a good idea, but there are other avenues to put pressure on the Pritzker administration to be transparent.

“Ultimately, the people of Illinois, they’re the ones that need to stand up and say ‘enough’s enough,’” Wilhour said.

The House Republicans used to do this sort of thing a lot, but several Republicans are busy with their campaigns and there is this little issue with the virus.

* Not to mention that the whole thing could easily turn into a circus…

* All that being said, we do need some answers on things like this…

The Illinois Department of Public Health has hired a former U.S. Attorney to review the department’s failure to investigate complaints of abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities for more than three months during the pandemic, but some lawmakers want public hearings on the issue. […]

[Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon] said public hearings are needed.

“They should be honest about the fact, and they were, that they dropped the ball on this, they’re trying to take some corrective steps,” Demmer said. “I think it will be really good to have those discussions in public and talk about what we can do and some of the lessons learned to make sure that if we find ourselves in this circumstance like this again that we can make good on the investigation portion.”

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:28 pm

Comments

If this was Rauner, he would be front-page news.

Comment by Fighter of Foo Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:33 pm
Transcripts of the hearings will be available in crayon.

Comment by dan l Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:34 pm
Truly a bunch of phonies trying to seem thoughtful but have 57% of Trumpkins saying 178,000 deaths are acceptable.

Wonder how many deaths are still acceptable to Demmer.

Right now, it seems that Demmer is saying he absolves President Trump, who is polling badly on Covid, for 178,000 deaths, and Demmer misunderstands that Governor Pritzker is polling well where President Trump failed a nation.

I mean, if it’s the goal of Demmer to protect President Trump, then that’s on brand for sure.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:41 pm
I expect fierce debate of whether covid-19 is a “hoax” or whether it is merely “fake news”

Comment by Woof Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:42 pm
If GOP was smart they’d be hammering Pritzker on IDES and his botched contact tracing program. This is not the answer. You are unintentionally aligning yourself with whack jobs like the Facebook post above.

Comment by Almost the weekend Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:43 pm
Let’s all be very clear;

The nursing home tragedies in this state, the lack of a tracing infrastructure too… there is a serious need for us to understand where this state has failed… I’m curious to this push and the legislators thoughts to the word FEMA, it’s meaning, and the response from the Feds, including needed supplies and support.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:44 pm
I just looked up Roes Steakhouse to see if this place is better than or the same as your average Texas Roadhouse. These people still are still planning to have a buffet. Not. Making. This. Up.

Comment by dan l Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:44 pm
Butler should be more worried that he and the people of Sangamon County did not take COVID precaution measures seriously enough to avoid a significant infection rate in And near his district.

Comment by Medvale School for the Gifted Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:45 pm
=== If GOP was smart they’d be hammering Pritzker on IDES and his botched contact tracing program.===

Yikes that is bitingly good to the moment and honesty to issues.

I’ve been wondering why the Raunerites are so obsessed with Madigan when IDES and contract tracing failures go deep into what voters and constituents are facing at this very moment I’m typing. Crystallized my own “confusion” better than I, thanks.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:47 pm
Nursing Home abuse has been going on for years. Evan Rauner’s Nursing Home was sited for abuse.

Comment by Mama Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:48 pm
Here we are over six months into a global pandemic and people still think wearing a mask is meant to protect oneself. If they can’t understand the basic reasoning behind masks how in the world are we supposed to have an intelligent conversation about mitigation?

Comment by Cubs in '16 Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:51 pm
The Center Square knows that the former US Attorney is named Cox but that’s all they know and they say it only once.

I assume they mean former US Attorney Courtney Cox, who served in Southern Illinois (and just barely lost a primary this year to run for judge) but the news story doesn’t say.

Comment by Socially DIstant Watcher Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 3:56 pm
When Tim Butler was talking about this on WMAY the other morning. He finished up and a lady called in to address his thought of having this Republican only meeting. She started with Mr. Butler should address the problems his own party is having. She was cut off and told there wasn’t enough time for her to speak. Although the fill in host took 5 minutes to take up for Butler. So Mr. Butler maybe you have more important things to worry about.

Comment by Club J Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:01 pm
I do agree that the IDPH nursing home issue needs looked at closely and resolved, especially with the potential for increased cases this fall and winter.

That being said, I’ve never seen a political party on the national, state and local level so willing to be on the wrong side of history to try and score political points during an historic-level, worldwide pandemic.

Somebody, somewhere in a Republican party leadership position might want to think about how they will be portrayed by future generations. I don’t think there will be many statues created for these ‘profiles in courage’.

Comment by Animus Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:06 pm
Roe’s Steakhouse is just down the road a bit from Effingham County where Covid numbers are rising. Don’t think I want to go anywhere near that area right now.

Comment by jimbo26 Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:08 pm
There are plenty of administrative failures that the GOP could take Pritzker to task on. Contact tracing, IDES, and mitigation guidelines that are often moving targets. But the dilemma in going down this path is that it would require the GOP to show an actual interest in governing and policy. But with Darren Bailey as their standard bearer what they really want to do is yell about liberty, forgoing masks, and the constitutional right to fish.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:10 pm
I hope to see a statue of Darren Bailey…for anti- example.

Comment by Dotnonymous Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:16 pm
Illinois needs an opposition party and the hearings should make elected officials accountable. Democrats were not silent when the Quincy veterans home was plagued with legionnaire deaths.

Comment by Klaus VonBulow Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:20 pm
=== Democrats were not silent when the Quincy veterans home was plagued with legionnaire deaths.===

Ya gotta keep up.

Right now, that “opposition party”… 57% of those polled find… 180,000 deaths as “acceptable”

So we have these phonies who with one turn pander to the White House, it’s response, and a majority of their base finding the deaths “acceptable”

You’re now telling me they *care* about the deaths?

That makes no sense to how the Raunerites are going about Trump.

That’s the politics. They’re wandering in the dark with a flashlight without batteries.

If they’re honest to this prong, what they should be asking is why Illinois was left to its own device to handle a global pandemic and every life matters, there’s no “it is what it is”

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:27 pm
== @Club J ==

The fill-in host was Greg Bishop. That says all that needs to be about the situation.

Comment by Osborne Smith III Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:28 pm
=Illinois needs an opposition party and the hearings should make elected officials accountable.=

And presumably this accountability would be focused on saving more lives and addressing the virus as a first priority to save our economy. But nothing in the ILGOP messaging right now says that they have an interest in that. The 25 Covid lawsuits that have been filed tell me so.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:31 pm
=== Which of these states have a lower death rate per million from COVID than IL without obtrusive orders?===

Oh - Anthony -

If your argument is “acceptable” deaths…

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:34 pm
Willie, I agree with your characterization of phonies. However the executive staff’s hands-off approach is not acceptable. IDES, DPH and plenty of other problems were not addressed by this administration.

Yes this is a distraction by a failed president and his lackeys from the complete chaos we are in. However I do not hear a lot of support for BLM or social justice coming from the current majority incumbents.

Comment by Klaus VonBulow Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:34 pm
=== However I do not hear a lot of support for BLM or social justice coming from the current majority incumbents.===

Has Demmer, Butler or Wilhour even acknowledged Black Lives Matter?

Dunno if you wanna go down this road.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:39 pm
Under what authority can the republicants hold a hearing? They don’t control any committee chairs. What gives them the right to call witnesses?

Comment by Huh? Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:48 pm
The GOP should have a traveling road show that goes right into the heart of the communities with increasing infections and gets to the bottom of why that’s happening.

I’d love for the group to have a task force meeting in Effingham and summon the local and county officials to explain what they’ve done … or not done … to protect the public.

I mean it can’t all be the Speaker’s fault, can it?

Comment by Leigh John-Ella Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 5:01 pm
I wonder if the restaurant feels the same way about making their employees wash their hands, wear head coverings to prevent hair from getting in the food, store food at proper temperatures, etc. Freedom, ya know. Might as well just say we don’t care about you or our workers.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 5:06 pm
Tim Butler never has anything meaningful to bring to the table. Public hearings on what? Whether or not the Bailey’s of the state want to wear a mask? Can we please move on from the mask “debate?”

Comment by CardsFan Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 5:20 pm
Yes to the idea of real hearings - -after the election.
Everyone knows Team Pritzker failed nursing home residents and their loved ones. A show “hearing” isn’t going to help anyone.
It is probably to early to hold real hearings as the damage continues.
As to Team Pritzker hiring an attorney to look into their failure, I suspect it will be little more than a whitewash and a complete waste of money.
The administration’s failure would be better addressed in lawsuits if the Governors actions have not insulated the nursing homes and the state from litigation.
No need to waste money on what we already know happened.

Comment by Back to the Future Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 5:26 pm
Get them all in a room together and lock them in until this whole Covid problem is resolved.

Comment by Morty Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 5:47 pm
Over/under on the number of 1930s Germany references at the proposed sham hearings? QAnon?

Comment by Precinct Captain Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 6:30 pm