Darren
Bailey says he can do more for the region as its State Senator after serving
less than a year as our state representative. So, yesterday, on WFIW, he
announced he would seek the 55th Senate seat which will be vacated
with the retirement of Dale Righter.
Let me state
plainly what I like about Bailey. There’s nothing wishy-washy about him. He is devout
and unafraid to tell you about his values. He has thick-skin and he knows how
to get to Wayne County from his farm near Louisville. He has been here a lot
and I find him highly accessible.
Bailey is an
optimist about the future of Illinois. God love him….I don’t share his
unbridled enthusiasm for the Prairie State moving forward. He constantly is
saying the tide is turning and the wave will benefit conservatism.
Remember, he
and two other downstate lawmakers called for a separation of the rest of the
state from Chicago, making the Windy City into the 51st state. I don’t
think it will ever happen….but….in the legislation, the trio accurately pointed
out the electoral divide which had a Governor elected back in 2010 by only
winning four of the 102 counties in the state. Politically, we already are two
states.
So…the next
move is by the Democrats. Can a candidate win by countering Bailey’s pro-life,
pro-gun, pro-farm agenda? How about a “conservative” Democrat? And the
Democrats also have to find someone to run for the house seat that Bailey is
leaving behind.
One thing is
sure. Mike Madigan and J.B. Pritzker have ample campaign funds to throw at these
two races. All they need is someone willing to devote their life to
campaigning---non-stop---for the next year-and-a-half…and pledge allegiance to
their brand of politics.
That’s a
tall order.
It will also be interesting to see what the Republicans do. This senate seat was a hot, expensive commodity when Righter won it after at least two full terms as representative. With Righter’s retirement, I don’t expect Bailey to be the only Republican candidate.
ReplyDeleteStill curious as to why he made the announcement here as opposed to his home county? Also separating from one of the largest cities in the country has to be the most laughable idea I have ever heard. I will refer you to the Paul Simon Institute study on tax dollars received/tax dollars earned.
ReplyDeletehttps://news.siu.edu/2018/08/081018-research-shows-state-funding-disparities-benefit-downstate.php
ReplyDeleteFirst, I don't give a shit about how devout he is. He is here to represent the people of Illinois, not just the Christians of Illinois. Saying you like him because of how devout he is, kind of shows that it could be an issue with those of us who do not believe in the sky fairy.
ReplyDeleteSecond, separating Chicago from the rest of the state is the DUMBEST idea that has ever been floated around in this state. Most of our population lives in that area. A lot of our income is coming from that area. If that is one of his platforms, I wouldn't vote for him even a little bit.
Third, as a "journalist" you should not be shilling out for any specific candidate. This reeks of you performing favors for a guy in hopes of getting favors back. That is just disgusting. I am sure SIU-E would be proud of giving you that diploma.