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ABC-7 ran a story yesterday featuring Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz defending his new TV ad that attacks Judy Baar Topinka. Gidwitz even got a little assist from one of his other opponents.
“From what I can tell, everything Ron said is accurate. The truth of the matter is, Judy will not take a pledge to increase taxes,” said Bill Brady, (R)-candidate for governor.
But other party leaders expressed some concern.
Republican leaders like Tom Cross are worried about GOP candidates going after each other instead of the real target, governor Blagojevich.
“I happen to think at this point Judy’s our best candidate in the fall. I hope she can get through the primary relatively unscathed, and I would hope that all the people in our party will understand we don’t want a candidate that is so scarred it’s hard,” said Ill. Rep. Tom Cross, (R)-minority leader.
But Gidwitz is undaunted.
“If you have a weak record it shouldn’t be surprising that you’re going to be embarrassed by it. Those that have what we believe to be strong records should not be bothered,” said Gidwitz.
UPDATE: News release from Congressman Ray LaHood:
Following months of being stuck in third-place in the polls, Ron Gidwitz has unleashed a torrent of desperate and negative ads against frontrunner Judy Baar Topinka. Those ads are filled with inaccuracies and misleading
statements, and our state doesn’t need more mud-slinging from a struggling campaign.The Gidwitz campaign has clearly crossed the line with its attack against Judy. Politicians do not have to use negative ads to be elected and that is why I have always chosen to run positive campaigns based on the facts.
Tough ads are part of the political process, but voters deserve to be presented with the truth – not fiction. Ron is attempting to smear her record by using bogus facts and figures.
Judy Baar Topinka is clearly our best candidate to beat Rod Blagojevich in November. Misleading negative ads like these won’t help Ron Gidwitz, but they could help Rod Blagojevich.
Today I am calling on the Gidwitz campaign to get the facts straight and correct the ad, or take it off the air immediately.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 8:34 am
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This is typical negative half truth.
Take the “tax hike” charge. She proposed a tax swap, just like conservative Repubs in the legislature do when they offer a local income tax option to lower property taxes. (BTW, the same type thing Rauschenberger has proposed.) Will Gidwitz run an ad stating the taxes Judy proposed cutting in exchange for her proposed offset? I don’t think so.
The office size was covered in the media yesterday, the office has nearly tripled in size, the legislature giving the Treasurer’s office responsibility for unclaimed property and the public treasurers investment pool.
Even the slap about her opposition to Blago trying to gut her office is laughable. Rauschenberger and every other republican in this state scream whenever their funding is cut, or even delayed.
This is a great chance for Judy to highlight her record.
Comment by Rick Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 8:44 am
Brady managed to completely mangle his soundbite. Unless that’s an Andy Shaw error in transcription, Brady sounds foolish.
Comment by Sir Topham Hatt Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 8:56 am
Gidwitz and Brady have nothing going for them. Just like junk cars, they keep lowering their prices to find sellers. Candidates that make the fradulent claim that they will not raise taxes are hoping we will select them because they are cheap. Well, we bought a guy who promised to be cheap, and we discovered that cheap doesn’t mean inexpensive. We have an ungodly debt, pension raids, political whoring and fighting over every budget issue, and have wrecked our economy while driving businesses to Indiana and elsewhere.
Voters have already shown that they are the adults regarding taxes. They see the mess Blagojevich has created, and realize that it is better to pay more in the short run, than pay even more in the long.
Candidates who fall on the “I won’t raise taxes” pledges are cheap for a reason. They don’t offer any real reasons we should vote for them and they are finding themselves in the half-price discount bucket hoping their lowered prices will find voters looking for experienced leadership to fix the mess Blagojevich is leaving behind.
Cross is right. Political munchkins like Gidwitz and Brady are showing how arrogant they are when they twist truths to paint Topinka as pro-tax. Republicans will not win with candidates promising to be cheap, they will win with a candidate proven to have the skills to get the job done.
These guys need to start acting like gentlemen and begin treating their party’s lady office-holding candidate with the respect she has earned.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 9:17 am
Vanilla Man endorses higher taxes … (but not for the rich).
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 9:38 am
Cross is right. Every day that Blago controls the message, this infighting among nobodies does nothing to help them beat him. They could have gone after the budget by picking up on the item you posted about a “crony” getting the loan sale business - instead this worthless blabber.
Illinois Republicans are almost as bad at politic strategy as the national Democrats are, almost as bad I said.
Comment by Goodbye Napoleon Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 10:31 am
My, my, how the pro-Judy folks here have “ruffled feathers”! But Judy should have relied on you faithful soldiers instead of Tom Cross for a rebuttal; at least you have drunk the Judy Kool-Aid.
But seeing as Cross does indeed have to deal in reality, the best he can do is infer that Judy is the least of all evils, rather than an outstanding candidate on her own merits. And worry that an airing of the true record will continue to hurt Judy. Not quite a full-throated, ringing endorsement.
As to the “adult” view of taxes… look at Chicago Magazines current lifestyle comparison of Chi and the top 5 US cities. With crappy weather, high crime, and other lifestyle challenges, one of the view areas where we shine is… LOW TAXES.(3% state income and no city income tax) You Judy Kool-Aiders (who, by the way, are departing from Judy’s current talking point of “no higher taxes”) would rather kill the golden goose.
By the way, Judy’s reason for declining a serious “no tax” pledge is “we may need to raise taxes to deal with a disaster.” This discloses both her stupidity and her lack of leadership. Has LA proposed taxes increases since Katrina? Has NY imposed them after 9/11? No… both have done the smart thing… go after the federal cow. Isn’t that what we pay the IRS for? And doesn’t IL already get less than its fair share of the federal pie?
No vote for her for “After Armageddon, I’ll raise your taxes before I go to the Feds.”
Comment by Never Judy Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 10:37 am
Tom Cross’s whine about the primary would be more convincing had he not been part of the moderate group that ran moderates against conservatives in many a state house race.
It’s time for a meal, served cold, Thomas.
Comment by Pat collins Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 11:01 am
Nothing like running an attack ad, then spend all your time defending it! Attack ads should speak for themselves, not run as half truths and blatent disregard to constutional duties. The most telling bold face lie (yes, lie and I explain why) is that Judy Topinka favored increasing the debt, “supported millions in new debt” according to the ad … well, if you call doing your constutional duty as required, by signing off on something the General Assembly voted on, and approved, and the Governor signed, all the while railing against it, but being required still to sign off on it, then you are really stretching to find something. A treasurer, any treasurer serving the state, must sign off… there is no “golly, I say ‘no’to that” option. The other point of spending, please refer to the expansion of duties, approved by the General Assembly, and a tax swap charge also included a tax swap that was en vogue during her tenure in the senate, most notably by …(gasp) conservatives. These last two are “iffy” issues, but the debt charge is a lie.
Comment by In the Land of Silos and Cows Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 11:20 am
Gidwitz doesn’t care if it’s accurate or not. Millions will see the ad, only a few tens of thousands will know it is a distortion.
Comment by Bubs Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 11:55 am
“Silos”: Gosh, thank God; you have shone the light of truth on this matter… let’s see if I have this right: Judy favors lower taxes, opposes government growth and increased government spending, and will reduce the state budget deficit without increased taxation.
If that is Judy’s platform (apparently, one not worthy of posting on her website), I don’t “trust” her to abide by it. (See other “Never Judy” posts.)
If it isn’t her platform, and I see that, so far, it isn’t (against the “no tax” pledge, favors more state hiring), then the overall message of the Gidwitz ad is accurate, and your rebuttal is merely hair-splitting. Aren’t we fed up with “fiscal conservatives”, like George Ryan, who can’t point to a consistent record of fighting tax increases, spending, and deficits?
And who are waiting to stick it to us after the election?
Comment by Never Judy Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 12:24 pm
Never Judy … did you refute any fact I stated …no? …thanks …nice spin, though.
Comment by In the Land of Silos and Cows Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 12:58 pm
Never Judy, it is revealing that you can’t seem to do a post without some sort of personal swipe at someone. Let’s see, just today it has been Rich Miller, Topinka supporters in general, and a fellow blogger. That very meanspiritedness is the essence of the Oberweis campaign, and a contributing reason why you guys are going to lose. But it is not needed here, as this is not the Leader.
Comment by Bubs Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 1:07 pm
Ever since the state income tax passed and Ogilvie lost re-election, it seems every state politician has turned into a big sissy afraid to tell the truth to the public regarding state funding needs. So today, we have a bunch of anti-tax candidates, including the governor, who think they have to avoid asking the public for taxes, and think the way to win an election is to claim their opposition favors taxes. Voters know the lies, and are jaded by it all. Now we have a guy in office who has raised our taxes by jacking up our debt so high it will take our grandkids to pay it off. This charade is supported by the other big sissies in both parties, unwilling to ask the public for more money to fund their nanny state programs. By playing the denial game, conservatives have shown liberals how to get their unnecessary social programs funded without telling the truth.
So, with Blagojevich in office, pretending to govern, what are the Republicans doing? The same sick follies are being played out there too. We have Gidwitz and Brady, trying to paint Topinka as a spend-happy politician, twisting the truth so that their next poll can show them at 10% of the vote instead of 8%.
Anti-tax idiots cling to their primitive belief that demanding no tax increases somehow ensures that their costs don’t go up, while snickering pols lip synch the lies while finding work-arounds to fund their wasteful social programs. Thanks to both, we have the worst of both worlds, debt and useless government programs we do not need or can afford.
It is time for these guys to stop mauling one another pretending one or the other favors taxes. Polls clearly show we don’t believe any of them and believe taxes will go up because they clearly will. That doesn’t make any of us favoring tax increases. It just shows we are tired of the political shenanigans and see through this ruse and hope that someone will start being honest again.
Shame on Brady, Gidwitz, Blagojevich and anyone else who thinks voters are too stupid to be honest with.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 1:15 pm
So Vanilla, anybody who opposes higher taxes is an idiot? Huh? I thought it was kinda idiotic for people to voluntarily pay more of their own money to support benefits for state workers who make more than we do and have better health insurance… corruption in state government contracts… more social programs for people who don’t work and pay taxes….
But that’s just me.
Look people, if Judy can’t respond appropriately to a negative ad, she’s got NO business running for governor. Do you REALLY think Rod is going to go light on her in the general with his $20 Million? Get real.
Comment by HoosierDaddy Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 1:27 pm
Vanilla: Us “idiots” who steadfastly fought tax increases (and sought tax reduction) only have the Reagan era of economic prosperity and the Gingrich recapture of the House to show for our advocacy….if only the same could happen in Illinois, despite the existence of weird cynics like you.
Bubs: LOL..back to the old “opponents of bad policy are haters” routine, I see.
Comment by Never Judy Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 2:21 pm
Never Judy … have you refuted my points on the blatent lie and the “iffy” facts … still no? … oh, thought I missed you talking factually, my mistake… keep spinning!
Comment by In the Land of Silos and Cows Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 2:31 pm
The only policy in play is that malevolent people should never have a shred of power in this party or this state. It usually doesn’t turn out very well.
Comment by Bubs Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 2:50 pm
For LaHood to tell anyone to play nice makes me sick. Who was the jerk who said Phil Crane didn’t go home enough? Who’s quote was used on Crains Democratic challengers literature? Who was the jerk who said Peter Fitzgerald should have a challenger in the primary? LaHood was the Jerk! Shut up Ray and mind your own Business
Comment by Reagan Democrat Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 3:28 pm
Reagan Democrat: Thank you, RD, for your point…I had almost forgotten all of LaHood’s mudslinging. His chastisement of Gidwitz is like Pol Pot telling Rwanda to stop the genocide. Also, LaHood is a hold-out among the Bob Michel rump that opposes the supply side initiatives of Reagan and Gingrich. So, we see why he’s defending pro-tax Judy.
Silos: Sigh, the very news reports linked by Miller show the truth of Gidwitz’s accusations. She DID promote increased sales taxes, she DID sign off on more debt, and she DID double the cost of the Treasurer’s operations. Judy’s rebuttal consists merely of excuses: there was going to be a “tax swap” (yeah, right), “The Constitution made me do it” (without protest, one might add.) Gidwitz’s response letter provides additional facts to show that the claims are not misleading…Judy has never had a problem with the Thompson/Edgar/Ryan formula of weaseling in more taxes and growing state government. Gidwitz’s facts are neither “iffy” nor “blatant lies”.
Bubs, LOL, LOL. Read my posts. If the malevolent shouldn’t be in power, then Judy is a poster child for malevolence, and you are contradicting yourself.
Comment by Never Judy Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 3:48 pm
NJ, I did read your posts. They reminded me of a still-hungry woodsman’s sad definition of an owl: “half feathers, a quarter claws, and the rest mostly voice.”
Comment by Bubs Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 4:11 pm
Never, why don’t you read the text of SB 1040? Better yet, why doesn’t Ron put up the language? Because it’s an all in one package- you don’t get the tax increase without the exemptions. And that would require a committment to the truth.
Funny how you state that she DID increase spending. Why doesn’t Ron show us the numbers, as you SAY that he did? First of all, they didn’t double; second, the General Assembly, with Rauschenberger and Brady’s approval, increased her office size and budget. I guess to you her mistake was letting Steve and Bill have their way and not removing her name from the letterhead.
Never Judy, your blog name belies the fact that you are not interested in winning any kind of election- you’re just on a vendetta. The problem with people who are on a vendetta is that they will trample over truth to tell their lie- in other words, no integrity.
Judy won’t stoop to your level. And that’s why she has this conservative’s vote.
Comment by Rick Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 4:19 pm
Poor Gidwitz. Poor Oberweis. All that effort and money will soon result in…nothing. Back to confronting the problem of what to do with yourself if you are rich and in late middle age and can’t buy a candidacy or an election.
Judy would do best not to get ruffled…asking to pull the ads is probably less effective than a polite dismissal. Only a month to go with these guys….
Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 4:40 pm
Never Judy …She did say the borrowing by Rod was bad, or do you have a “lapse memory”? She is constitutionally required to sign off… what part of…required…are you not gettting? Further, the tax relief given to offset the sales tax was promoted by conservative legislators as a way for relief, not a tax increase … and if you call having the functions of your offices increase, and none of the money being spent on the operations of your office an increase, you need to really understand what a fact is, and what spin is. I don’t think you want to hang your hat on the blatent LIE of the debt, and the IFFY charges of taxes and spending? And what answer Gidwitz had in front of the cameras … oh yeah, he had none. When you don’t have facts, its hard to defend any accusations.
Comment by In the Land of Silos and Cows Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 5:43 pm
Rick: After having wrung my hankerchief of the tears induced by your stern lecture, it occurred to me that the alleged “integrity” and “truth” that you so pretentiously rest upon would be ground up by the Blago machine into so much pulp if Judy were to win the primary. You may shake your head in disdain at my indictment of Judy as a “big government” Republican, but I can assure you that Blago will beat that and other drums regarding Judy such that your ostentatious confidence that she is a sure winner will look quite foolish come November. And the premise that Blago will have this ammunition only because “them nasty right wingers stirred it all up” is nonsense. No one is divulging any great secret that hasn’t been part of Blago’s opposition research for months. And Rick, thank God for anonymity here, right? That way you can peddle your pro-Judy line claiming that you are a “conservative”. I’ll wager the “facts” would bear out something quite different.
By the way, Judy fans, explain how her Cellini debt forgiveness plan of the 90’s fits into her profile of “economic conservative” and “fiscal responsibility”. You know, the proposal that Attorney General Jim Ryan put a brick on? Or is that too much “truth” for you, Rick.
Comment by Never Judy Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 6:33 pm
Silos and Cows: Is it a FACT that Judy is “fiscally conservative”? And if so, is it in the Bob Michel/Ray LaHood way, or is it in the Reagan/Kemp/Gingrich way?
Comment by Never Judy Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 6:40 pm
If the Illinois GOP were smart, they would have listened to Tom Cross 8 months. Let the millionaires spend their own money on the Governor’s campaign. Let pretty little Judy run for re-election, and concentrate all efforts on house and senate seats.
As it stands right now, Tom Cross is probably the most powerful Republican in Illinois. He has pretty cozy relationships with several key Democrats, including the Governor.
Maybe, just maybe, Tom doesn’t necessarily like the idea of a Republican Governor.
You have to admit, when interviewed, he doesn’t hit the Governor very hard. Maybe ol’ Tommy likes ridding in the front seat.
Just a thought.
Comment by B Hicks Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 7:18 pm
B Hicks……
Don’t know which interviews you are listening to but Cross has come out much stronger against this Governor than The Senate Repubs. Tom has been on message since day one - no more spending or borrowing. Much stronger than the Senate Repubs who keep saying……so us the details before we commit.
Comment by anon Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 7:32 pm
If House Minority Leader Tom Cross has a shred of decency, he will stop sitting on SB600 and allow the disenfranchisement of grassroots Republicans to end. Then we will see what Republican voters in Illinois really want. I suspect several big Republican heads will then roll in due course.
This state party has been lurching from one “good enough” candidate to the next for far too long, all the while ignoring major problems that led to the current mess. When Republicans stick to issues and offer voters clear choices against liberal opponents (of either party), they win.
Ray LaHood must share the responsibility for the current situation as well. According to www.nolahood.com he’s been running unopposed and masquerading as a Republican far too long.
Backing JBT for Governor will NOT solve this state’s fiscal problems and will certainly set back the IL Republican party evern further than her stint at the helm of the IL GOP.
If you doubt the validty of Ron Gidwitz charges, refute them yourself. His letters to Judy are posted at http://www.ron2006.com/news/contentview.asp?c=31776 and at http://www.ron2006.com/news/contentview.asp?c=31810
While you are at it, try to answer the laundry list of charges against JBT posted at http://www.familytaxpayers.net/?p=sum&topid=7
That should stop all the name-calling for a week or two.
Comment by donchicago48 Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 7:35 pm
Anon 7:32, Below is an example of what I have read in the past:
Sitting in his leadership office in the state Capitol, Cross recently discussed with the Daily Herald the political options in his future and lessons learned from the recent elections. He also talked about the sometimes painful steps that brought hi•to that leadership post and at times saw his personal friendships - including those with the Democratic governor and with his predecessor as House GOP leader - collide with his political interests.
All I’m saying is that they have a cozy relationship.
Comment by B Hicks Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 8:10 pm
We don’t need to raise tax’s we need to lower spending.
Comment by Anon Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 9:46 pm
It’s times like this when I wish that Congressman LaHood was our candidate for Governor. He is speaking the truth, and the majority of Republican primary voters believe the same thing. Lets get through this primary campaign without any major bloodshed- so we can have the best possible candidate to BEAT our current Governor and his band of idiots.
JBT is our best chance to win in the General- she pulls the most democratic voters *away* from Blago- and that is the key to winning a general election. It’s a *simple game of addition* folks- it’s not brain surgury.
Comment by roy slade Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 10:10 pm
donchicago48, teh charges have been refuted. It is the Gidwitz response that contains no figures, links, or information. Read them yourself. No need to comment on the Tattler and Jack “the Loser” Roeser’s credibility. (BTW, you forgot to link to the StopJudy.comedy website. Real substance there.)
Somehow I don’t think that Jack and his d-bags will stop their name calling for a minute.
Comment by Rick Thursday, Feb 16, 06 @ 11:04 pm
I don’t know much about Gidwitz but one thing I saw last night in Joliet, Illinois was that “he has sand”. I am not saying that he is the best candidate for governor. I am also not saying that he isn’t. I still don’t know.
What I will say is that Gidwitz is not afraid to speak out. I like that. It shows leadership qualities.
He came to Will County last night to speak (along with a few other candidates)to a gathering of GOP precinct committeemen. It was “Daniel going into the Lion’s Den”. Gidwitz has been getting negative publicity from the Joliet mayor and city manager for over 18 months regarding an investment property that Gidwitz owns 2/10ths of one percent in. It is a low-income federally funded housing project called Evergreen Terrace Apartments. Gidwitz’s and his fellow investors were approached by HUD many years ago and asked if they would take over this crime-ridden and run down apartment complex. They did and they put a pile of money into it.
Did they clean up all the drug dealers and criminals that frequent those type of developments? Nope!
Is it their job to do so? Nope! They aren’t the new sheriff that rides into town and gives the bad guys till sundown to leave.
The Joliet mayor and city manager want this apartment location so they can change it into a park or expensive condos. I don’t blame the mayor. Out of sight, out of mind. But, he is trying to condemn this property (law of eminent domain) and take control of this property for less than it’s appraised value.
Anyway, Gidwitz came to Joliet and when asked about this Evergreen Terrace issue he gave “the other side of the story” regarding a heated local political issue. He didn’t dance around it. He politely but firmly dealt with a couple of city of Joliet hecklers that had waited there to verbally attack him. I was impressed with the man. So were many of the others. I saw a man rise to an occasion rather than run away from one.
Perhaps it was just a normal reaction from a former business leader who was used to dealing with adversity. But, isn’t that what the State of Illinois needs desperately right now? Leadership? Firmness and fairness in facing a problem or adversity? I just thought what I witnessed last night was worth mentioning. I wasn’t sure if I could cast my vote for Gidwitz before. Now I know that I could. I am still not sure if I will but now I know that if I am looking for a GOP moderate, Judy is not the only choice available.
Comment by Beowulf Friday, Feb 17, 06 @ 5:33 pm
Thursday 7:32 pm anon,
Let’s wait and see how Cross comes out on Blago’s $3.2 billion capital bill.
Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Feb 18, 06 @ 9:24 am