* The Sun-Times tries to be even-handed today with its criticism of both Democratic gubernatorial candidates’ TV advertising. But the effort fails miserably. Here’s how the editorial begins…
Gov. Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes, who are squaring off in the Democratic primary race for governor, are both smart and substantive candidates.
Not that you would know that from their recent campaign ads.
If those ads are setting the tone for what’s to come, we dread turning on the television for the next three months until the primary.
And then the newspaper goes on to chide Hynes for not immediately paying state bills for tourism contracts. Not a single word is ever mentioned in the editorial about any of Hynes’ TV ads. The Sun-Times just said Hynes should’ve paid the bills, which he did after resubmitting them to the governor.
So, the top of the editorial has nothing to do with the bottom, at least in regards to Hynes. The paper did take a whack at Gov. Pat Quinn, however…
The nonsense from Quinn: He has begun running a campaign ad knocking Hynes for vowing to weed out waste in the state’s budget line by line but still signing off on “every single” state check.
Which, to repeat, Hynes must do by law — and Quinn knows it.
That’s a fair critique. And it directly relates to the subject of the editorial. But if the paper is planning to hit both candidates on their TV advertisements, then shouldn’t it at least say what they find objectionable in both candidates’ ads?
You’d think that would be elementary.
* The DSCC has been doing this for weeks, and Pearson has now called them out on it…
In a highly unlikely pairing, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee joined with FOX News [yesterda] to promote criticisms of Republican U.S. Senate contender Mark Kirk made by a GOP candidate who dropped out of the contest.
The DSCC trumpeted a FOX News story that one-time Republican Senate candidate Eric Wallace had dropped from the race to avoid splitting conservative votes in the effort by conservatives to challenge the socially moderate Kirk, a five-term congressman from the North Shore.
The DSCC has been “trumpeting” every tiny right-left split in the Kirk race, even though most of it can’t be taken seriously, like that goofy Fox News story on Wallace, who, as Pearson rightly notes, was barely an also-ran…
Not mentioned by the Democrats or FOX was Wallace’s failed 2006 run for an Illinois Senate seat in which he got 23 percent of the vote against Democratic state Sen. Maggie Crotty of Oak Forest.
Also not mentioned was the financial viability of Wallace’s U.S. Senate candidacy, which reported less than $3,000 in cash on hand to start October, coupled with $11,795 in debts, according to the Federal Election Commission.
His candidacy was a joke, at best.
* Jim Ryan won’t give back the money contributed to him by convicted felon Stu Levine…
Ryan also said he also does not plan to return the hundreds of thousands of dollars Levine once contributed to the former attorney general’s political efforts.
“No, no. The reason I haven’t done that is because, when I had that money, I didn’t know that he had a problem,” Jim Ryan said. “There was never, when I was associating with Stu and he was helping me (with) my campaigns, I mean, there was never a hint of any scandal or problems or impropriety.”
As I told subscribers today, the hole in JRyan’s logic is that Levine was indicted twice for alleged illegalities that occurred in 2002 - while Levine was raising and contributing boatloads of cash for and to JRyan’s gubernatorial campaign. Those contributions are definitely tainted.
* Phil Kadner calls out Gov. Quinn…
Quinn talks about the need to adequately fund the public schools in Illinois, to decrease property taxes and raise the income tax to fund state programs. He said he testified on behalf of a bill sponsored by state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) that would’ve done all of that.
He says that when the bill passed out of the Senate, he called House Speaker Michael Madigan and said “let’s shoot for the moon” and pass it.
“After a long pause on the other end of the phone, Madigan said, ‘No,’” the governor said.
But the truth is Quinn really had a different tax plan he wanted to pass, and he didn’t endorse Meeks’ bill until it had been watered down and passed out of the Senate.
“He did testify in front of a House committee in support but didn’t lobby for it at all,” said a supporter of the Meeks bill.
* And, finally…
Tuesday night, Hynes’ campaign fired off a press release accusing Quinn of hypocrisy for releasing an ad criticizing Hynes for taking a trip to D.C. then boarding a plane to D.C. himself for a fund-raiser and a meeting with legislators from Illinois.
On Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin’s office released a notice for a Quinn meeting in Washington, D.C., Wednesday regarding federal funding for Illinois projects. It offered reporters an “opportunity for b-roll and spray.” That’s a term used mostly for national press meaning camera footage but no questions.
Hynes’ campaign shortly released a notice that their candidate will be holding an economic roundtable with small business owners in Chicago Wednesday that will offer “B-roll spray” and a press availability afterward.
* More campaign stuff…
* Full text of Jim Ryan’s campaign announcement speech
* Ill. gov. candidate Jim Ryan’s kickoff shadowed by Rezko figure
* Ryan returns to run for governor
* Ryan announces candidacy for governor
* Wallace drops out of Senate race
* Miller making run for comptroller
* Supporters, including Attorney General Madigan, turn out for Flider fundraiser
* As filing period ends, GOP hopefuls lining up in hopes of changing trend
* Bean has plenty of challengers — and not just from the GOP
* Congressman Davis files in 2 election races
* Political Dominoes Will Soon Fall in 7th Congressional District
* Green Party has full slate of candidates for state races
* Lake County ballots to have touch of Green
* Lottery held to determine ballot positions in Kane Co.
* Primary races shaping up in the Fox Valley
* Kane County treasurer faces challenge
* Even Democrats have primaries in DuPage County