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Murphy attacks Dillard, but not by name UPDATE - Dillard Responds

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* Sen. Matt Murphy has unveiled a new TV ad during the State Fair which whacks a fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Kirk Dillard. From a press release…

The ad contrasts Murphy’s record as a fiscal conservative with one primary opponent, Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale), whose votes have contributed to the state’s financial woes. In 2008, Dillard voted to raise the sales tax in Cook County as well as the collar counties and in 2003 he voted to give then Governor Rod Blagojevich $10 billion in bond borrowing. The ad also calls the Hinsdale Senator a “long-time insider” highlighting his 30 years in state government, a point Dillard himself is making on the campaign trail.

Except, the ad never actually mentions Dillard by name…

According to the Tribune, the ad is currently running in the Springfield/Champaign cable market. It’s more of a symbolic act, but it does indicate that Murphy will not allow Dillard to emerge unscathed.

***UPDATE : 4:30 pm- Dillard Responds***

[posted by Mike Murray]

***End of Update***

* Meanwhile, the Democrats are planning to take a swipe this morning at GOP US Senate candidate Mark Kirk before the Republican Day festivities kick off at noon. From a press release…

Before the start of the Illinois Republican Party’s rally today at the State Fair grounds, local Democratic and community leaders will join together to ask Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk why time and again he has supported corporate special interests and President George Bush’s failed policies over what is best for Illinois’ economy and working families.

DATE: August 20, 2009
LOCATION: West Side of the Goat Barn, State Fair Grounds
TIME: 11:45 AM
PARTICIPANTS: Margaret Blackshere, former President of the IL AFL-CIO
Jim Moody, Sangamon County Chair
Special Guests

It’s probably a safe bet that the goat barn was chosen for a reason.

* And Kirk has another primary opponent…

Hinsdale real estate developer Patrick Hughes announced Wednesday that he is entering the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, challenging U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk for the party’s banner.

Hughes, 40, says he was part of a grass-roots push to lobby against Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed income tax hike. The attorney has never run for public office before.

Comments

leach interviewed Dillard. I thought Dillard did a horrible job. Leach asked him to identify how his policies are diferent from the other republican canidates. Dillard was unable to answer, other then to say he worked for edgar.

Dillard made a comment about Illinois needs to live in its budget like it did under edgar. Leach did not ask or point this out, but Edgar made a temp tax hike permanenet, as I recall, and then raised it some more!!! So Dillards anti-tax answer about living within our means just like edgar did is bizaare.

Then Leach asked him what he would cut, Dillard said the State cant be all things to all people…. then stated he would not reduce vertan benefits because of his relationship with a vet, etc. i.e. Dilalrd will not cut anything that benefits him, his friends or families; so the State can be everything for DIllard, it just cant work for the rest of us?

When pushed Dillard indicated he would close the 12 billion budget hole by eliminating free bus rides for rich seniors and medical treatment for kids who are not residents of IL. In short, he had not real substantiveideas at all about where to get money from.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 10:46 am
Is Hughes really going to run on an anti-Obama platform in Illinois? Let alone while vying for POTUS’ former seat? He should have stuck with the whole “Mark Kirk is outside the mainstream of Republican thinking” theme and built upon that.

Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 10:51 am
Why would immigrants have a problem with mark kirk? presumably the immigrants who voted in the 10th are legal immigrants. what position do they think he should take on illegal immigrantion?

the man has stated that he opposes illegal immigration for humanitarian reasons. latinos and asians should understand that perhaps more than any other groups, as they have both been expolited and victimized by human traffickers who have viewed both groups as easy prey.

Comment by Will County Woman Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 10:53 am
The Dems’ metaphor in using the goat barn to wack Kirk for Bush is all wrong. In fact, it’s the exact opposite of what they’re trying to convey.

Goat is short for scapegoat which is defined as:

1. One that is made to bear the blame of others.
2. Bible. A live goat over whose head Aaron confessed all the sins of the children of Israel on the Day of Atonement. The goat, symbolically bearing their sins, was then sent into the wilderness.

What the Dems wanted to do was hold the event by the sheep pen. You know, a sheep –someone who goes along quietly and docilely.

Let’s get some FFA types in the symbolism department there, Dems.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 10:53 am
Only the IL GOP would be so bad as to consider someone with zero federal lawmaking experience/credintials over someone with federal credintials to put up against someone on the democratic side with zero federal lawmaking experience/credinitals.

kirk is a wealth of knowledge on federal issues and insitutional knowledge when it comes to congress generally speaking. he is someone that alexi g. wouldn’t stand a chance against in a debate etc.

if republicans go with the hughes guy, Illinois loses because the general will be between two institutional knowledge lightweights.

Comment by Will County Woman Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 11:23 am
“Obamarama,” I’ll stipulate that your idol is still personally popular among Illinoisans…but, policy wise, there is something telling about the fact the Democrats planning to demonstrate at the goat barn are declaring their intention to ask Mark Kirk why “he has supported corporate special interests and President George Bush’s failed policies,” and not why he is opposing the Administration’s plans for healthcare, or something along those lines.

It’s been said (accurately, in my opinion) that in politics, if you are playing defense you are losing. I’d argue you can still be losing while playing offense, particularly when it’s against year’s opponent.

Comment by grand old partisan Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 11:24 am
What does this Hughes guy ad to the GOP race? He’s a nobody. He’s never even run for office before, let alone won. He has no fund-raising experience. He has no campaign experience.

At this point he is sub-Andy Martin.

Comment by please... Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 11:24 am
Matt Murphy, ambulance chasing trial lawyer. Just the person for Republicans to rally around.

This guy’s ego is only exceeded by his seperation from reality.

Comment by Just sayin Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 11:26 am
===“Obamarama,” I’ll stipulate that your idol…===

As I have said multiple times on this blog, I am not an “Obama guy.” It’s a funny word and I went with it.

That being said I completely disagree with your assessment that you are “losing” if you are playing defense. You may be losing ground, which would be the only logic to playing defense at all as opposed to simply ignoring a particular issue.

If you are polling ahead 80-20 for example, and your candidate gets in a fender-bender, you would obviously exercise a bit of spin control. But would that mean you are “losing?” That you have lost that entire margin automatically solely because you went on the defensive? Just a hypothetical for you to ponder.

Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 11:50 am
There goes what’s left of Matt Murphy’s $29,000 campaign account…

Comment by Broadsword Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 1:09 pm
Regarding Murphy’s TV spot, isn’t the Golden Rule that you use TV advertising to first define yourself, then go negative?

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 1:12 pm
Before the start of the Illinois Republican Party’s rally today at the State Fair grounds, local Democratic and community leaders will join together to ask Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk why time and again he has supported corporate special interests and President George Bush’s failed policies over what is best for Illinois’ economy and working families.

Spinnin’ by the Goat Barn - Seeger, “Night Moves”, enhanced by VanillaMan

Folks hurtin’ back home
They need jobs and bucks
Cash 4 Clunkers resultin’ in new trucks
Palin’s Facebookin’ as ObamaCare dies
Six months ago, those polls were so high
It was our time to fly!

Governin’ got tough, and the liftin’ got heavy
We’re still tossin’ billions to Chevy
Workin on policies without any clues
Spinnin’ by the Goat Barn
Tryin to make some front page news
Spinnin’ by the Goat Barn
In the summertime
In the sweet summertime

We were in love, no doubt about it
The Media sang praises like He was from a Summit
Our bloggers were young, restless and bored
The Republicans were floored
And we’d do deals every chance we could
With AARP, Big Pharma, and lobbyists understood
We let Pelosi swing us far to the Left
But no one really cared
We were gettin our share
Spinnin’ by the Goat Barn
Cheered on by MSNBC’s “news”
Then we lost all our grooves
And it was summertime

And we all wonder
Why are the Blue Dogs fighting?
And we expected liberal thunder
It’s now a huge blunder!

So we’re holding a Presser at the goat barn
Spinnin’ about Kirk and Bush - that old yarn
Still wishin’ for Kennedy and 1962
Aint it funny how bi-partisanship got screwed?
When we seem we’re about to lose?
Strange how the voters choose
With Town Hall protesters closing in?

Goat Barn!
Yeah! Spinnin’ by the Goat Barn
Goat Barn!
Cap N Trades’ dun burned
Goat Barn!
What the hell happened?
Goat Barn!
Spinnin’ by the Goat Barn!

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 1:22 pm
===isn’t the Golden Rule that you use TV advertising to first define yourself, then go negative?===

That’s pretty much Paid Media 101.

Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 1:44 pm
Every time Murphy opens his mouth Dillard gains votes. I wish he would shut up.

Comment by Bill Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 3:25 pm
Its a shame that a decent man like Dillard, who has been willing to vote for unpopular but neccessary measures like the tax increase for mass transit, must find himself exposed to these sorts of attacks.

you know, its almost to the point now where it doesn’t matter what the name of the candidate is. A Republican with enough experience, who is very knowledgable about state government, runs and quickly finds himself under attack from some anti-everything radical conservative fool who is able to convince people that governing is easy and that they can have roads, schools, parks and the rest without paying for it. The whole thing is getting tiring. But then again, what can you expect from a party that is against everything and offers nothing?

Comment by this old hack Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 7:13 pm
Ghost must have selective hearing. Dillard clearly articulated that his experience sets him apart. I would challenge him to name one - just one - legislative success of Murphy.

Dillard sponsored ethics reform, job creation bills, and the tort reform measures.

Murphy can’t go “positive” first because he has nothing to say.

Comment by 4 percent Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 8:03 pm
i liked how “the dance” or whatever the brooks song is called was playing in the background while dillard was speaking.

Comment by colt 45 Thursday, Aug 20, 09 @ 8:24 pm
Ghost: Edgar didn’t raise taxes

Comment by steve schnorf Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 12:14 am
Steve,
True.
More true: Edgar tried but Pate killed it.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 9:45 am
MF: not true. Pate killed a tax swap, an increase in the income tax in return for a decrease in property taxes, revenue neutral. No net new dollars. The truth can be a real B____, huh?

Comment by steve schnorf Friday, Aug 21, 09 @ 1:33 pm