* From the Dan Hynes campaign…
Please take a moment to review the attached, extremely misleading video the Pat Quinn campaign has been circulating among trial attorneys. The video is slick, in more ways than one, and the result is shameless pandering that is totally dishonest, to boot — truncating Dan’s answer in a way that completely changes his meaning. This is an embarrassing and hypocritical move from Illinois’ self-styled “Truthslinger,” and Pat Quinn ought to be ashamed of himself.
The Quinn campaign video script:
MODERATOR: Tort lawyers are killing the golden goose, resulting in higher Medicaid costs, and so what will you do to scale them back?
Pat Quinn: I think victims have the right to a lawyer, have a right to recompense if they’re injured, and I don’t really believe the solution to our Medicaid problems is going after victims and their lawyers
MODERATOR: Thank you Governor Quinn, Comptroller Hynes:
DAN HYNES: I have an understand of health care and a passion for it. Even closer to home, my wife is a physcian — she practices women’s health at the rehabilitation institute in Chicago — and I can tell you after conversations with her, that there is no doubt that physicians who have to engage in the defensive practice of medicine is an issue.
CUT TO SPLIT SCREEN (showing the two quotes side-by-side) with the fade-in question: “Who is fighting for you?”
Only one problem. That’s not even half of Dan’s answer. Here is his FULL response:
“I was a health-care attorney before I ran for comptroller, working with hospitals, physicians, other health care providers on business transactions and regulatory issues. I have an understanding of health care, and a passion for it. Even closer to home, my wife is a physician. She practices women’s health at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and I can tell you from my conversations with her, that there is no doubt that physicians who have to engage in the defensive practice of medicine, is an issue. But I don’t believe that taking the rights of victims, and those who are supposed to have access to the courts and the civil justice system, is the answer. I think we need to look at this issue and make sure our physicians are allowed to practice medicine, making sure they are allowed to make the decisions, not insurance companies, but ultimately it means making sure the health care system as a whole is working, which is why the health care reform initiative in Washington is so important.”
Just as he attacked Dan in campaign commercials for doing his job by signing state checks, Pat Quinn is insulting our intelligence.
Medical malpractice could become a legislative issue again, depending on how the Illinois Supreme Court decides a challenge to the state law.
And here’s the Quinn video…
* Meanwhile…
Comptroller Dan Hynes has all but ruled out any additional short term borrowing by the state to ease the enormous backlog of unpaid bills.
Meeting Wednesday with the State Journal-Register editorial board, Hynes said borrowing more money in the short term now will only exacerbate payment delays next spring when the state must begin repaying the loans.
He stopped short of issuing a flat “no,” but also did not lay out any formula in which additional borrowing will be acceptable.
“I don’t think we can afford to borrow any more,” Hynes said. “I don’t base my decision on what will make me more popular.”
* And Greg Hinz takes a look ahead. First, he expects Andy McKenna to go negative on Jim Ryan…
Right now, Mr. Ryan is well ahead of the pack in the race for the GOP nomination for governor. His high name recognition as former attorney general and ex-gov candidate is out-polling the Nicarico and Stuart Levine negatives. He has only one opponent with the $$$ to change that: Mr. McKenna.
I expect Mr. McKenna to do just that — go on the attack — unless something funky comes up in the latest polls. But pulling Mr. Ryan back into the pack by elevating his negatives could hurt Mr. McKenna, too, and open the door to another contender, perhaps state Sen. Kirk Dillard.
He doesn’t think that Alexi Giannoulias will lose the primary, and then ponders whether Gov. Pat Quinn will have the resources to hold off Hynes…
“Team Hynes insists it’s making progress, and a poll a few days ago by the Rasmussen organization strongly suggested that Mr. Hynes is more electable than the guv in November and that Mr. Quinn has problems with female voters. But Team Quinn says it will be on TV “pound for pound” in the closing month — in large part due to a contribution from the Service Employees International Union that I hear tops $500,000.
It better be at least that, considering the IFT’s involvement for Hynes.
This will probably be our last roundup for the week. We may have “Morning Shorts” for at least part of next week, but I am taking a break.
So, get your comments in now, campers, because it could be awhile. Happy holidays, merry Christmas and peace be with you all.