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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The ongoing uproar over Darren Bailey’s 2017 claim that the Holocaust “doesn’t even compare on a shadow” to the lives lost to abortion reminded me of a scene in an old movie called “A Bronx Tale.”
The claim Bailey made on Facebook exploded into view courtesy of a brutal TV ad by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s campaign. The ad begins with an announcer previewing an already-used video clip of Bailey saying he would not allow a woman who was raped or a victim of incest to have an abortion.
“You may have thought you heard everything that Darren Bailey had to say about abortion,” the voice-over person says before the clip is played. “But that’s not all Darren Bailey has said,” the person continues as the newly unearthed clip is shown to viewers.
The closing tagline of “Darren Bailey, too extreme for Illinois” is then flashed on the screen. That’s pretty close to the same language used in Democratic ads that aired during the Republican primary.
There are those who say judging from experience, if Pritzker is using something this over the top in August, then oh my goodness he must have some really strong opposition research in store for voters when the campaign cranks up this fall.
That could very well be, and it doesn’t help matters much right now that Bailey’s billionaire GOP primary benefactor Richard Uihlein has not directly contributed any money to Bailey’s campaign since the primary, so attacking when your opponent can’t fight back has its advantages.
Bailey released a response video to another Pritzker TV ad (calling him out for hypocritically taking millions in federal farm subsidies while opposing other government social programs) that has so far received views in the hundreds, not the millions who would see something on TV.
Either way, this is a true political beat-down. And it didn’t stop there. Bailey at first walked his comments back by saying, “The Holocaust is a human tragedy without parallel. In no way was I attempting to diminish the atrocities of the Holocaust and its stain on history. I meant to emphasize the tragedy of millions of babies being lost.”
Then, the very next day, Bailey told Fox 32’s Dane Placko his words were “taken out of context as they typically are” and blamed reporters.
Then, Bailey was asked by a Fox Valley radio station host if he needed to apologize. Instead of doing so, Bailey laughed and said, “The Jewish community themselves have told me that I’m right,” and he went on to claim “the Jewish rabbis” he’d met with had told him he was “actually right.”
Bailey inexplicably kept the story alive, and Pritzker took full advantage, pounding away at his opponent every chance he got. And since then, the Pritzker campaign has piled on by providing some opposition research to reporters about other Bailey Facebook posts.
The Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition recently issued a press release complaining that “Multiple social media posts by gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and his wife are Islamophobic, antisemitic, and xenophobic.”
And that brings me back to the movie, which follows a young Italian-American boy as he learns life lessons from those around him, including from some mobsters.
In the scene, a biker gang known for busting up bars unwittingly walks into a mob-owned bar and, after being told they could stay for a couple of beers, begins to cause trouble. The top mob boss tells the bikers to leave. After being rudely rebuffed, he quietly walks to the front door and locks it, then turns around and faces the bikers: “Now youse can’t leave,” he says.
The mob boss’ underlings immediately stream in through the back door brandishing baseball bats, pistols and other implements of destruction and absolutely pummel the bikers, who are then dragged outside and beaten some more, including by bystanders.
And that’s basically how the rest of this campaign is going to go, even when/if Bailey’s coffers are replenished. Pritzker never took his foot off of Bruce Rauner’s political throat four years ago even though he was way ahead in the polls, and he kept whacking Richard Irvin long after Irvin was clearly no longer viable in the recent GOP primary.
It’s just how they roll over there. Toss in the fact that Pritzker helped found a Holocaust museum and abortion rights is an issue that appears to animate him, and you can understand the desire to go all-out on this one.
* Related…
* State Week: Online posts keep Bailey on the defensive
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 9:05 am
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Youse on it Rich[banned exclamation point]
Comment by Norseman Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 9:12 am
Had to go watch that scene for nostalgic purposes.
Make stupid choices, win stupid prizes, Darren.
Comment by Alice Childress Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 9:15 am
Rich’s last sentence is really interesting to me. Right after Roe is overturned, you’re campaigning against a liberal Jewish billionaire who has all the resources to personally blow you out of the water, and you decided to die on the combination holocaust/abortion hill.
Comment by Homebody Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 9:34 am
I always get stuck on ” compare on a shadow.” Did Bailey mean ” … is a shadow compared to …?” “…is a shadow of …”
Whatever. Another inarticulate Republican.
Comment by Sir Reel Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 9:50 am
The die was cast on Bailey a long time ago. Too extreme for Illinois but extreme enough for the GOP. And those extreme bona fides were cultivated over many years on Facebook and other platforms which will now be replayed for the masses. I feel for Demmer and Brady and what this may ultimately mean for their campaigns.
Comment by Pundent Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 9:57 am
Between the no abortion ever group and the wide open abortion on demand for any reason group, there are a whole bunch of voters that hold a more nuanced stance somewhere in-between. There is room there for a candidate to make inroads. But Bailey isn’t that candidate … and neither is the far right wing of the Illinois GOP.
Comment by RNUG Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 10:03 am
Ron Gidwitz would like a word with Candidate Bailey.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 10:12 am
JB wants to go all out this issue because Democrats want to distract and avoid talking the kitchen table issues facing voters.
Rising violent crime and the refusal to lock up repeat offenders, the effect the lockdowns had on their children’s education, a 40 year high in inflation making energy and food unaffordable, rising rent and property taxes, the leader of their party for the past 40 years under indictment and the lack of ethics reform.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 10:34 am
“And that’s basically how the rest of this campaign is going to go, even when/if Bailey’s coffers are replenished”
And I am here for all of it.
Comment by Victor Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 10:37 am
- Lucky Pierre -
So you are supporting Bailey this election, correct?
To the post,
=== And that’s basically how the rest of this campaign is going to go, even when/if Bailey’s coffers are replenished. Pritzker never took his foot off of Bruce Rauner’s political throat four years ago even though he was way ahead in the polls, and he kept whacking Richard Irvin long after Irvin was clearly no longer viable in the recent GOP primary.===
No quarter, no relief, full court press.
Lessons learned, if I’m being frank. There’s no letting up.
Folks like - Lucky Pierre - will ignore racist thinkers, insurrection apologists and conspiracy theorists… and vote Bailey because…
=== Rising violent crime and the refusal to lock up repeat offenders, the effect the lockdowns had on their children’s education, a 40 year high in inflation making energy and food unaffordable, rising rent and property taxes, the leader of their party for the past 40 years under indictment and the lack of ethics reform.===
So supporting a person who wants women, children, those who are victims of rape or incest…
I think Chairman Tracy said it best…
=== ===So, whatever your political leanings, wherever you live - if you want to fight corruption, restore fiscal sanity, grow our economy, and stand for law and order - you’re on our team. It’s time to suit up, work together, and bring home some wins for the people of Illinois.”===
… and Rich here, in this great piece frames it best…
“Now youse can’t leave”
The - Lucky Pierre - silly is one lacking the real understanding that it’s not deflection, it’s reminding folks *who* Bailey is.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 10:48 am
A Bronx Tale–one of my favorite De Niro movies.
Bailey can enjoy the limelight and back pats while they last, but he and the Mrs. are out of their league.
His campaign reminds me more of the old Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movies where a farm’s mortgage is due and somebody says, “Hey, let’s put on a show.”
Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 10:54 am
==JB wants to go all out this issue because Democrats want to distract and avoid talking the kitchen table issues facing voters.==
It’s actually because JB’s stance is politically popular, especially in Illinois, and that for millions of people you never talk to because they’re miles outside of your bubble, reproductive rights *are* a kitchen table issue.
You’re deep in a bubble, so I’m sure this is news to you, but just about every family I know has, in the wake of the Dobbs decision, had some pretty profound conversations around their proverbial kitchen tables about reproductive rights. What do we tell our children about this? Where do they go to college? What jobs should they pursue? How do they protect themselves? What kind of medical care can we expect?
OTOH, I know that you’re comically out of touch, but no one is talking about Mike Madigan around the kitchen table. Why would we? It doesn’t affect us, and there’s nothing we need to do about it.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 11:10 am
== a whole bunch of voters that hold a more nuanced stance somewhere in-between. There is room there for a candidate to make inroads.==Agreed.
Comment by MoralMinority Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 11:16 am
“a more nuanced stance somewhere in-between”
We can still keep slaves, but we have to give them the weekends off.
There is no ‘in-between’. You either allow the individual to make the choice themselves, or you don’t.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 11:20 am
The beatings will continue until beetle realizes he is out matched, out financed, and locked in a room with someone who is a better person.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 11:24 am
=Rising violent crime and the refusal to lock up repeat offenders, the effect the lockdowns had on their children’s education, a 40 year high in inflation making energy and food unaffordable, rising rent and property taxes, the leader of their party for the past 40 years under indictment and the lack of ethics reform.=
It’s Bailey’s job to make that argument. It seems the only thing that’s keeping him from doing so is Darren Bailey.
Comment by Pundent Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 11:45 am
Anon at 11:24 twas I.
Comment by Huh? Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 11:58 am
That’s what happens when you get a couple three mill from the feds, you start thinking you’re a player.
Bailey isn’t a player, Pritzker is…just ask Ken Griffin.
Comment by Flying Elvis'-Utah Chapter Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 12:18 pm
=JB wants to go all out this issue because Democrats want to distract and avoid talking the kitchen table issues facing voters.=
Lucky Pierre, are many of these things not an issue in the red states or across the globe? That is news to me.
Comment by Travel Guy Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 12:39 pm
RNUG, with respect, you are repeating tropes about abortion. There aren’t really two camps in diametric opposition, with the GOP in one and the Dems in the other. A sizable fraction of the GOP actually does believe in total bans, but your middle ground is what most Dems believe. The out of touch extremists are the GOP.
Free abortion on demand is actually another trope…as per the CDC:
“The majority of abortions in 2019 took place early in gestation: 92.7% of abortions were performed at ≤13 weeks’ gestation; a smaller number of abortions (6.2%) were performed at 14–20 weeks’ gestation, and even fewer (
Comment by Jibba Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 1:05 pm
“the wide open abortion on demand for any reason group”
Who are these people?
If they exist, I would imagine that they have names.
How many are represented at any level in elected office?
If they exist and are in any way politically meaningful, I’m sure there must be some.
The “no abortion ever group” completely dominates the Republican Party at every level.
The purported “wide open abortion on demand for any reason group” doesn’t actually exist — much less play any meaningful role in Democratic politics.
– MrJM
Comment by MisterJayEm Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 1:34 pm
Sorry my message got cut off. The CDC quote continues to say that (
Comment by Jibba Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 3:08 pm
=The purported “wide open abortion on demand for any reason group” doesn’t actually exist=
It’s the strawman argument to try and contort “pro choice” into “pro abortion.” And as you and Jibba points out it is belied by not only by the politics but the data as well.
Comment by Pundent Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 3:12 pm
== JB wants to go all out this issue because Democrats want to distract and avoid talking the kitchen table issues facing voters. ==
Because it’s going to work, that’s why.
Funny I missed all those Bailey ads during the primary that talked about what he was going to do and those “kitchen table issues” instead I seem to recall he mentioning Richard Irvin a whole lot and stuff about him.
Don’t worry however I am sure in the months ahead I am going to see Bailey ads talking about what he is going to do and not trying to scare me about JB.
Bailey is the type of nominee that I have listened to people talk about since the Al Salvi days that is the type of Republican that should be nominated, lets see how that works out.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Aug 15, 22 @ 3:23 pm