Today the Illinois Education Association will announce its endorsement of Kirk Dillard in the Republican primary for governor of Illinois.
Kirk Dillard is a current Republican Illinois State Senator who voted no on Senate Bill 1 – pension theft.
(A reader writes: “Dillard’s Lt. Gov. running mate is Representative Jil Tracy who was a member of the Gang of 10. Tracy voted YES on SB1.”
But aside from that Dillard is a right-wing Republican who has opportunistically shifted further and further right since the IEA endorsed him and gave him a check for a quarter million dollars the last time he ran.
He lost that election for the Republican nomination for governor to Tea Party Republican Bill Brady.
Dillard learned from that election that he would not let Brady get on his right flank ever again.
Dillard is the Illinois Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council.
ALEC brings together corporate and state legislators to pass anti-labor, anti-civil rights legislation.
The last time Dillard ran the IEA’s political arm – IPACE – wrote him a check for $250,000.
He spent the money, but there was not even a thank you.
I’m not sure Dillard will use this endorsement in his advertisements aimed at the Illinois Republican base, which isn’t in love with teacher unions.
There are no good choices in the Republican Party and only Pat Sqeeezy Quinn on the Democratic side.
This is all driven by the fear of Bruce Rauner, billionaire friend of Democrats and Republicans, who is spending millions of dollars to buy the governor’s mansion.
The state’s unions are spending huge amounts of money to defeat Rauner. They have established the Illinois Freedom PAC and are funding it with millions of dollars for amateurish TV commercials.
But this effort appears to be too pitiful too little too late. Rauner has a twenty point lead in the polls and the election is March 18 with early voting beginning the first week in March.
Thousands of dollars of teachers’ money going to Dillard who is dead last in the polls and chairman of ALEC.
Money well spent?
And sources tell me that an IEA endorsement of Squeezy in November is a lock.
It is just so depressing and sad.
Fred Klonsky 
As distasteful as many of ALEC’s proposal are, I cannot find any that actually advocate the cutting of current retiree benefits as was done by senate bill 1. See below from their website.
(this of course is generic legislation not directed specifically to Illinois) Does anyone know if ALEC officially endorsed SB 1?
Unfunded Pension Liabilities Accounting and Transparency Act
Summary
The Legislature finds that the future liabilities of the state’s several post-retirement pension and benefits plans may exceed the ability of these plans to fully pay future claims, possibly requiring taxpayers to make unforeseen future contributions to ensure the solvency of these plans or the reduction or elimination of benefits to future and current retirees. Believing both of these alternatives to be unacceptable, the Legislature seeks to identify the extent to which the several pension plans lack the necessary capital to pay all future obligations.
Dillard’s Lt. Gov. running mate is Representative Jil Tracy who was a member of the Gang of 10. Tracy voted YES on SB1.
I would vote for no one more than Dillard.
The sad reality is unless you’ve got tons of money or plenty of political connections that have money, the common man with common sense can no longer run for high political office. I heard on the TV the other day from a political analyst that both Republicans and Democrats are contributing to the IL Freedom PAC, as well as unions, because they don’t want Rauner running against Governor Squeezy. On the one hand my fear is if Gov. Squeezy gets reelected it will confirm his delusional thinking that he was put on this earth to do pension reform and encourage him to do even more dastardly deeds. On the other hand I have to wonder if it really does matter if Rauner gets elected–after all Mikey is the real power behind IL politics and nothing really happens without his blessing. It seems like I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t with regard to casting my gubernatorial vote. How sad for us Illinoisans!
It is very sad. Damned either way, but worse with Rauner. He has the money to buy off votes in the legislature. He would also influence the way the state is run by who he would appoint to run state agencies. If he doesn’t like IL.EPA, he would appoint an oil co. executive to run it. Then cut the budget, and the effectiveness of the agency is cut down to almost nothing. He would do the same with other state agencies including the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. He would appoint anti-union board members and drastically weaken the unions. As governor, he would get his way. If you think Rauner would be ineffective, compare with Squeezy. Nobody can touch Squeeze’s proven ineffectiveness dealing with Mike M.
Squeezy has proven he is no friend to teachers and other public workers and really does not deserve a vote. In the general election, I will vote AGAINST Rauner, if Squeezy is the lesser evil, so be it. A terrible selection of bad and much, much worse.
Interesting article on coal mines and LACK of enough state inspectors. If Rauner gets in he would not hesitate to cut agency budgets to deliberately make enforcement of regulations ineffective.
http://www.enewspf.com/opinion/commentary/50170-will-illinois-coal-rush-spread-west-virginia-disasters.html
Well IEA is going to be broke after Harris v Quinn because its members are going to be furious and Quinn is going to lose
There is another candidate running for the Democratic nomination for Governor, Tio Hardeman (SP?). I know very little about him except he lost his position as Ex. Director of Cease Fire over accusations of domestic violence. He is also very pro teacher. While his chances in the primary are slim to none, a sizable vote for him by educators choosing a Democratic ballot in the primary would be one way to express our displeasure and more impact flu than no vote at all. What am I missing about Hardemam?
Does the Green Party have a candidate for Governor?
Not yet. And no primary, of course.
Is it time to move to Indiana, or Canada or London or Costa Rica? How will we be able to stand the politics in Illinois much longer? They are eating away at our retirement enjoyment as well as our defined benefits.