Friday, February 14, 2014

IEA endorses [Dillard in the Republican Primary] for governor (by Fred Klonsky)



"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 State Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council [Click Here]. 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."


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