(Chicago, IL) — April 15, 2010. Some pundits are criticizing Governor Pat Quinn for his failure to appoint yet a paid campaign manager to lead the fight against GOP nominee Bill Brady.
Why should he?
He’s already got a damn good one for free.
Former Republican Governor Jim Edgar has filled the vacuum in Quinn’s political operation. Edgar has been repeatedly banging on Brady’s budget plan and drawing far more attention and negative news coverage to Brady than any staff guy or gal that Quinn could hire.
Pioneer Press reporter Kimberly Fornek, delivered this story on Tuesday:
“There needs to be extensive cuts in the state budget … including in education and childcare. A lot of good programs are going to have to be eliminated. It’s going to be brutal. Then you have to raise taxes.”
“We can’t grow the economy to solve this problem,” Edgar said. “We got into this when the economy was going pretty well. But we overspent. For 10 years, we lived beyond our means.”
Edgar gives Gov. Pat Quinn credit for having the courage to call for higher taxes.
“I don’t think he’s going to get it,” Edgar said. “I would have told him he should have talked about cuts first.”
But he does not agree with the Republican candidate for governor Bill Brady’s “across-the-board 10 percent cuts in programs. It’s too simplistic.”
A governor must set priorities, Edgar said.
“Some programs are just more essential than others. (But) every section of society will be affected and pay part of the price for the fiscal mismanagement for the past 10 years,” he said.
Edgar argues for Quinn’s agenda better than Quinn.
At a press conference today to roll-out a petition against Quinn’s 1% education income tax sur-charge–StopThePatQuinnTax.com–Brady faced the Edgar criticism when Capitol Fax reporter/intern Dan Weber questioned him.
Brady however dodged the question with a rote repetition of his anti-tax mantra while, essentially, proving Edgar’s point.
In the meantime, Quinn saves the staff salary.
Gov. Pat Quinn
Yippee the Sainted one has returned from exile. The good old days of Jim Edgar, the last honest man standing. Please remember that Lemonade Lucy Edgar left the governorship one step ahead of the feds. Anyone remember the budding Public Aid scandals?
Posted by Jim Sather | April 16, 2010, 6:51 PMPeople probably do not remember when he left because he really did not do anything when he was here he slid into a retirement without missing a beat, heart or otherwise.
I hope his new buddy Quinn does some pension reform on this double dipper.