ILGOV2014: Pat Quinn finally concedes

Illinois governor Pat Quinn conceded this afternoon--over 12 hours after his Republican rival, businessman Bruce Rauner, declared victory.

In his brief statement, he did not apologize for running a dirty campaign and running misleading ads against Rauner, who won by a comfortable five percentage points. However, the Chicago Democrat did promise to cooperate with the GOP transition team.

(Photo) Beaver tree art along the Des Plaines River

Look what I found at sunset yesterday along the banks of the Des Plaines River at Dam Number 4 Woods West. It's the work of beavers--recent toiling, as the wood chips are on the ground.

An excellent project: I give the beavers an "A."

The trees, soon to be deceased, are silver maples.

Quinn: Three times a sore loser

Illinois Packer fan

Yesterday Republican businessman and political newcomer Bruce Rauner ousted Chicago Democrat Pat Quinn from the governor's office by a surprising margin of five percentage points.

Rauner declared victory last night but Quinn--based on the way he manages Illinois finances, math is not his strong suit--can't understand numbers. He refuses to concede even though he trails Rauner in the count by 167,000 votes with only a few precincts outstanding. 

Quinn spent the last forty years crafting a persona that he was an all-around-good-guy, which he personally destroyed by running a dirty negative campaign centered on demonizing Rauner because he's a self-made billionaire. The self-described populist zeroed in a a former position of Rauner's--that he favored lowering the minimum wage. 

As the Chicago Sun-Times reported this morning, in 1998 Quinn waited five weeks after a primary defeat in the lieutenant governor's race to concede defeat. And while governor, Quinn, to placate his Big Labor base, waited six months to fulfill a bet made with Scot Walker to volunteer wearing a Green Bay Packers shirt at a Wisconsin food pantry. The unions were angry about Walker confronting the power of the Dairy State's public-sector unions. The Illinois government union bosses have destroyed the Prairie State.

As for Walker, he resoundingly won reelection last night.

Morning in America: GOP retakes Senate

Monument Valley Sunrise

It's not just morning in Illinois in the middle of the night--it's morning in America too. Here in the Land of Lincoln Republican Bruce Rauner wrested control of the governor's office from inept Chicago Democrat Pat Quinn. And with Thom Tilles defeating incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan in the US Senate race in North Carolina, the GOP wins control of the US Senate.

The odious Harry Reid is no longer majority leader.

Related post:

Finally a cure for ILL-inois: Rauner elected governor

Finally a cure for ILL-inois: Rauner elected governor

Chicago sunrise

There is great news in the Land of Lincoln. Our twelve-year nightmare is over. Republican newcomer Bruce Rauner has ousted Pat Quinn and he'll be the next governor of Illinois. Quinn succeeded his two-time running mate, convicted felon Rod Blagojevich, after he was removed from office in 2009 by the General Assembly.

AP just called the race for Rauner.

During the Blago-Quinn quagmire, Illinois' credit rating sank to the lowest of the 50 states, it has the nation's worst-funded public-pension system, and it lags the rest of the nation in job growth.

Rauner is a problem solver. I'm proud of my vote for him today. But Blago and Quinn left a big mess for the governor-elect to clean up.

It's morning in Illinois. It's time to shake up Springfield and bring back the state.

Gerrymanderers defeated: GOPer Dold wins back House seat in Illinois

Dold in 2011

Illinois' failed governor, dirty campaigner Pat Quinn, signed into law a repulsive gerrymandered map designed to outs Republicans for the US House. One of the seats the GOP lost was the 10th District in Chicago's northern suburbs--part of the district includes Morton Grove, but alas, not where I live.

But there is good news all the same Bob Dold won back the seat that partisan hack Brad Schneider took from him in 2012.

Bad news for the Chicago Machine, good news for good government.

(Bruce Rauner ad) Endorsed

If you are not sure who to vote for in the Illinois gubernatorial race, then go with the candidate with the positive message--and that's Republican Bruce Rauner. Pat Quinn has run a repulsive negative campaign.

Rauner offers hope, Quinn can only deliver more despair.

Oh, almost every major Land of Lincoln paper is backing Rauner.

(Video) Harold Washington on Pat Quinn

For a brief unhappy time, Pat Quinn was the revenue director for Chicago. But Mayor Harold Washington fired him.

"Pat Quinn is a totally and completely undisciplined individual who thinks this government is nothing but a large easel on which to do his PR work,” Washington said in 1987, two weeks before his passing.

"He was dismissed. He should've been dismissed," Chicago's first black mayor continued, "My only regret is that we hired him and kept him too long."

Krauthammer: 2014 Election a referendum on competence

Charles Krauthammer, as always, is spot on.

Is this election really about nothing? Democrats might like to think so, but it's not.

First, like all U.S. elections, it's about the economy. The effect of the weakest recovery in two generations is reflected in President Barack Obama’s 13-point underwater ratings for his handling of the economy.

Here is a president who proclaims the reduction of inequality to be the great cause of his administration. Yet it has radically worsened in his six years. The 1 percent are doing splendidly in the Fed-fueled stock market, even as median income has fallen.

Second is the question of competence. The list of disasters is long, highlighted by the Obamacare rollout, the Veterans Affairs scandal and the pratfalls of the once-lionized Secret Service. Beyond mere incompetence is government intrusiveness and corruption, as in the overreach of national security surveillance and IRS targeting of politically disfavored advocacy groups.

Vote for real hope today. Vote Republican.

Patriots: It's time to vote

My fellow patriots. Today is Election Day. We will keep control of the US House and with your help the GOP will finally take charge in the Senate.

If you live in in the Land of Lincoln, we can divorce ourselves from twelve years of Democratic failure and Bring Back Illinois.

Vote for Bruce Rauner as if your wallet depends on it. Because it does.