*** UPDATE *** Bill Brady is doing an eight-city fly-around today and trying to focus on the budget and the economy…
Republican nominee for Illinois governor Bill Brady says he will try to appeal to voters on fiscal issues when they don’t share his conservative viewpoint on social issues.
Brady says he’s heard from people who disagree with his opposition to abortion who say they’ll support him because he has a state budget plan.
OK, well, let’s see that plan in all its glory.
After the beating he took in the Statehouse press room last week, Brady is avoiding Springfield on today’s fly-around.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* Bill Brady stuck closely to the script during a recent appearance on ABC7’s morning show. He kept his focus on the budget deficit and the economy, even when the hosts tried to bait him on Pat Quinn’s claim that he’s an extremist right-winger.
“We don’t have the luxury of focusing on social issues in this election,” Brady said.
The full ABC7 interview is here, but I’ve clipped the most pertinent section for you. Watch it…
* That appearance will hearten the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board, which wants a much greater focus on jobs and the budget mess…
For the Republicans and their nominee, this ought to be a golden moment. The next governor’s challenges could not be more obvious or pronounced: Illinois is an ethical cesspool and flat broke. Voters don’t need to be reminded which party has been running things. All they want is a candidate to offer them a way out.
So where’s Brady? Off in the weeds — introducing legislation to ban civil unions and to allow mass euthanization of dogs; spouting off about teaching creationism in schools; shooting himself in the foot at a news conference meant to show that he’s tough on felons. His public statements about how to balance the state budget, meanwhile, make it clear he has no real plan to do that.
This is the guy who’s supposed to save Illinois? […]
Mr. Brady, you are at grave risk of making Quinn look like the more competent candidate in this race.
If you want to be governor, you’ll have to show that you know what’s wrong with Illinois, and that you know how to fix it.
On that same topic, here’s the state GOP chairman…
“Everybody is focused on fiscal and economically responsible issues. Those are the issues that people care about, jobs and fiscal issues, so there is no real right or left in those, just right or wrong,” said Pat Brady, Illinois Republican chairman.
Yes, the economy and the budget are Number One, but he won’t be able to completely avoid answering social questions forever.
* Good point…
“Each party has now nominated the candidate the other party most wanted to run against,” said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Of the major candidates, that’s certainly right. This campaign is gonna be a race to the bottom. It’ll be a question of who is the scariest and most inept. There’s a hint of that in the Tribune story…
Brady also has opposed some government transparency efforts, including requiring campaign contributors to list their occupations, and he said adopting detailed federal-style statements of economic interest for public officials would be “a little bit of an overreaction.”
His business interests will be examined with a fine-tooth comb. Bet on it.
* Related…
* GOP candidate says he will focus on job creation
* Major statewide campaigns off to shaky starts
* GOP gubernatorial race officially ends
* Budget debate gives Brady, Quinn chance to spar
* Numbers tell the story in Brady’s primary victory: Three other races in February’s primary saw the nominee win by a slimmer vote margin than in the GOP [gubernatorial] race. But less than 450 total votes were cast in each of those races.
* Brady isn’t first area GOP gubernatorial candidate
* Brady to thank state supporters on flyaround
* Anti-Gay Gubernatorial Candidate Captures Ill. GOP Primary
* Dillard: Veteran politician likely to be back in spotlight