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Hynes gets his explanation
Thursday, Sep 3, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller * Earlier today, Dan Hynes demanded either an explanation or an apology from Gov. Pat Quinn after Quinn charged that Hynes opposed an advisory referendum on a graduated income tax a few years ago. Hynes denied he opposed the referendum. “[Quinn’s] bizarre claim that Dan has changed positions on a progressive income tax is patently false,” a campaign spokesperson was quoted as saying. Well, after I asked for more than 24 hours, the Quinn campaign finally sent what it says is proof that Hynes has flip-flopped from opposing a graduated tax to now supporting one. This is from an October, 2003 story in the Kane County Chronicle…
Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes opposes a proposed state constitutional amendment that would double the state income tax paid by the rich. Oof. Still, that one sentence quote is the only direct quote the paper ran on the topic, and it’s the only story forwarded by the Quinn campaign, so it’s not 100 percent definitive, but it ain’t good for Hynes, either.
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- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:03 pm:
Whoops.
I’m getting the feeling these two guys don’t like each other very much. It’s a long way to February.
- OLD TIMER - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:04 pm:
So it’s what? 98% definitive?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:13 pm:
lol
Too funny, OT.
- soccermom - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:27 pm:
I would go to 99.9% definitive. (Anybody who wants to round up is welcome to.)
- Anon - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:36 pm:
Oopsie. Not good when you are on record opposing the very idea you want to base your campaign on. Also cuts into your ability to label Quinn a flip-flopper.
- Anon - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:39 pm:
“Still, that one sentence quote is the only direct quote the paper ran on the topic, and it’s the only story forwarded by the Quinn campaign, so it’s not 100 percent definitive, but it ain’t good for Hynes, either.”
Your willingness to defend Dan Hynes knows no bonds. I’ve always appreciated your objectivity and I hope that over the course of the campaign it returns. I have no doubt that if the shoe was on the other foot you’d have a pretty different response.
- Oneman - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:42 pm:
Having seen the cronicle in action, I would say it’s not the New York Times
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 6:57 pm:
The Chronicle is perhaps the only paper that took Quinn seriously and bothered to ask someone else their opinion.
there was a time not so long ago when no one took Quinn seriously.
Ahhh, I remember it like it was November 2008.
- DzNts - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 7:34 pm:
Before we get all “oof” on this, let’s remember it was six years ago when the economy was, ostensibly, better than it is today. Granted, the state had some debt, but there were not reports of 245,000 hours of overtime in the month of June just in two agencies because of political cowardice. I would rather have a candidate for Governor acknowledge that it’s okay to have an enlightened change of opinion based on the needs of today rather than repeating a tired old phrase year after year. I’m not even a democrat, but I think we need to take a deep breath and remember that even Blagojevich’s running mate Pat Quinn probably had some opinions on public policies in 2002-2003 that he likely doesn’t advocate for today.
And, if the best that Quinn can point to is some outdated headline from a U.S. Senate race in 2003, he probably needs to change the issue quickly to something else. It makes him look desparate to be rummaging through newspaper clips from six years ago in the futile search for an answer to something people probably care little about. That’s a lot of effort to swat a mosquito.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 8:10 pm:
This old, obscure clip does however give insight into what Quinn’s carrying around in his stuffed briefcase.
Next he’ll pull out a Rushville Rotary News chicken dinner fundraiser ad from 1977 to finish Hynes off.
I know it’s in here somewhere, right behind the Rubik’s cube, replica bedsheet ballot and the last 18 mos of Popular Science.
- Chubs Mahoney - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 8:15 pm:
Michelle F and DzNts - you’ve missed the point.
Hynes’ campaign labeled something “patently false” that is, in fact, true.
Now Hynes should issue a retraction or apology.
- soccermom - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 8:19 pm:
Do you think he’ll call it “patently true”?
- scorekeeper - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 8:28 pm:
Right there with the Super8 card and original CUB signup form circa 1984.
- unnamed for now - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 8:28 pm:
So let me get this straight… Quinn changes his mind on practically a daily basis, and he has the gall to call Hynes out on a quote from 6 years ago? I understand that politics is a contact sport, but this is extremely disingenuous. Why? We weren’t in a crippling recession, nor were we experiencing negative revenue growth in 2003. Sure, we had a large deficit at the time leftover from the Ryan administration, but it was manageable without new revenues.
After six years of the disaster known as Blagojevich (for which Quinn had a front row seat), the state is in dire straits. There is absolutely no way to cut ourselves out of the mess that he created. Quinn gets put in the big boy chair just because he was lucky enough to be Lt. Gov at the time, and he does nothing but waffle on every last policy and budget proposal he puts forth.
Meanwhile, Hynes called Blagojevich out multiple times (starting in Blago’s first term if memory serves) and put forth ideas that could have spared us from quite a bit of the mess we’re in today - none of which involved a tax increase. “Oh, he’s just the comptroller and doesn’t have a say in the matter” was the typical response. And, here we are. We have no choice but to raise new revenues, and Hynes realizes that. He changed his position out of necessity while Quinn changes positions based on which way the wind blows.
I’m a Democrat, but if Quinn wins the primary, I’m going to have to give some serious consideration to the GOP and Green candidates. I’ve seen enough of Quinn to know he has absolutely no clue of what he wants, let alone what he’s going to do on a daily basis.
- unnamed for now - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 8:35 pm:
==Hynes’ campaign labeled something “patently false” that is, in fact, true.
Now Hynes should issue a retraction or apology.==
You’re right there. Hynes’ team had better get busy figuring out what was said and when or there will surely be more gaffes like this. I don’t blame Hynes himself but rather his campaign staff for not knowing about this.
- Tom - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 9:02 pm:
Rich: It sure sounds like you are in bed with Hynes these days but Quinn has him dead to rights on this one. Facts are stubborn things as Reagan used to say. Ouch Danny boy. T hisis going to be a fun race to watch.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 9:04 pm:
Tom, my hesitation comes from two things. The lack of other stories and the quality of the newspaper.
As for the rest of your comment, bite me.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 9:56 pm:
Chubs,
Oh I get the point. It’s September and already the campaigns are a disaster. They’re shaping up to be hospital food vs. airline food. Nominating petitions aren’t even in yet and we’re busting out yellowed old newspaper clips.
I haven’t seen a campaign announcement handled so badly since Joe Biden’s last bid for president. What’d it last, two hours?
- op research - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 10:41 pm:
With Quinn’s propensity to fire off w/out much thought he better spend some more resources on his op research unit. 24 hour turnaround is not acceptable. Anzalone Polling is known for demanding exhaustive op research from their candidates operations–will be fun to see Anzo make the Gov spend money on OR!
- Richard Afflis - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 10:55 pm:
I guess Hynes needs to just call it a day. That Quinn is too much for him. That article from six years ago is just so relevant to the state’s current situation or the situation when Quinn took over for Blago. I could see why Quinn is doing a victory dance and should probably have LaSalle Street in Chicago for the parade he should have in his own honor for “showing that Hynes boy.”
Too bad for Quinn, he’ll have to face that political juggernaught Rich Whitney!
- Chubs Mahoney - Thursday, Sep 3, 09 @ 11:42 pm:
All Quinn did was send one article, in response to a sanctimonious demand from the Hynes team. There was no gloating. There wasn’t even a statement. Just an article to set the story straight.
Nobody on this blog is disputing that Governor Quinn was exactly on point when he called out Dan Hynes for unveiling a progressive tax proposal that he
a) previously opposed and
b) failed to publicly support when others (e.g. Rep. Mike Smith, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn) were fighting for it.
- Ramsn - Friday, Sep 4, 09 @ 12:05 am:
So what’s the Hynes response? Something about Quinn’s veto of the ethics bill he initially supported? Or something about looking forward not backward?
- Adam Kovac - Friday, Sep 4, 09 @ 9:43 am:
Wow! Reading that was like dusting off an oldies record. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
- Anon - Friday, Sep 4, 09 @ 9:56 am:
Dan, welcome to the defensive. You will have to change the subject if you want to stop having to defend yourself on this one. You should have thought this through better. This has John “I voted for it before I voted against it” written all over it.
This is why Quinn will win the primary. Hynes has NO game.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Sep 4, 09 @ 10:12 am:
If you were the Lt. Governor, and watched the state fiscal record go down the toilet, would you forget if the comptroller went on the record to say that he didn’t favor raising taxes?
No you wouldn’t. Why? Because you see the writing on the wall and would remember what avenues were available to remedy the situation. If the comptroller took a public stand on this, you’d remember.
But the comptroller wouldn’t. Why wouldn’t Hynes remember this? Because he is the comptroller, and six years ago wasn’t a player for a gubernatorial campaign. Hynes was eyeing a US Senate race, remember? So, he could say this at the time, mean it - and forget he said it when his political goal changed.
What we have here is the guy who eyed the governor’s mansion remembering what the johnny-come-lately said when Hynes wasn’t thinking about the governor’s mansion.
Own it Hynes! Flip! Flop!
- Inish - Friday, Sep 4, 09 @ 10:13 am:
Just to add to the conversation- The Kane County Chronicle is a 11,000 circ paper that in 2003 didn’t even have a Sunday Edition. It has also been successfully sued for inaccurately reporting political stories.
“Thomas, a former kicker with the Chicago Bears, sought damages over a series of columns that Page wrote in 2003. The articles claimed Thomas softened his position in a disciplinary hearing for former Kane County State’s Attorney Meg Gorecki after her supporters backed a judicial candidate he favored.
A jury ordered the Chronicle and Page to pay Thomas $7 million in November. But Circuit Court Judge Donald O’Brien, who is named as a defendant in the federal lawsuit, decided the award was unreasonably high and reduced it by $3 million in March.” Wednesday, June 6, 2007 12:00 a.m. CDT, Kane County Chronicle
That being said- the economy was a different place in 2003. He doesn’t say he is against the progressive tax- he says he wouldn’t support a tax increase. (I read any increase.)I am not convinced it backs up the Quinn position.
As a former Shaw media employee- not sure this is definitive to me.
- Yellow Dog - Friday, Sep 4, 09 @ 10:14 am:
Here’s the bigger picture:
Quinn reacted to Hynes without having all of his ducks in a row and facts in order.
Then Hynes reacted to Quinn without having all of his ducks in a row and facts in order.
Both camps are simply lobbing grenades at random at each other right now, and that’s not necessarily the best way to win a war.
Campaign staff are warriors, and the hardest thing for a warrior to do when you’re attacked is not respond. Ditto for candidates who don’t like to see negative things about them in print. But when you respond to an attack, you’re allowing your opponent to dictate the battleground and the tempo, so its often the wrong thing to do.
More importantly, there are going to be weekly, if not daily attacks on your campaign, and if you get in the habit of responding to every attack, you’ll never have the resources to execute your campaign plan and message strategy.
That said, I’d say Round 1 goes to Quinn, because now the burden is on Hynes to show that he DID in fact support a progressive tax hike back in 2004, or at least some time in the past.
If I were Hynes, I’d drop it, because I’m sure Quinn will respond by dragging up some official legislative records that show that there were proposals before the legislature to make the tax code more progressive, and Hynes’ office never weighed in officially.
In addition, I think Hynes would be better off if he spent atleast several weeks putting out a positive message that explains why he wants to be governor and defining himself before someone else defines him. And he would do well to remember that whatever else he may think of Quinn, the voters generally view him as an ethical, likable guy, and attacking Pat Quinn in what seems a personal way right out of the box is not a way to win voters over.
- cover - Friday, Sep 4, 09 @ 10:14 am:
Michelle Flaherty @9:56pm, you might have the fall campaign’s quote of the year there, “hospital food vs. airline food”. I still think Quinn will win the primary, because Hynes won’t be able to demonstrate that he could do a better job than the incumbent.
However, if the GOP doesn’t mortally wound their eventual nominee in their usual circular firing squad, they might actually have a chance to win next year. Dillard seems to me their best general election prospect, but he’s also the most obvious target in the primary battle since he’s to the left of the other GOP candidates - Murphy has already gone down this road. Of course, the others may instead cannibalize each other while attempting to win the label of “true” conservative.