Brady says he wants to be governor because he wants to change Illinois to undo what he called the “Blagojevich-Quinn style of government.”
“People have said, ‘Bill, why would anyone want to be governor of Illinois?’ ” Brady said, addressing the rally. “Most of our governors seem to make license plates in their after careers, but the truth of the matter is, I want to be governor of Illinois for the same reasons you’re here tonight. I can’t think of a state or a time or a place that I’d rather be governor, because I can’t think of a greater opportunity than what lies ahead of us to change the future of our state and the future of our children and our grandchildren.”
Brady also insists he can cut enough to balance the budget in one year without a tax increase, saying “the math works out.”
But Redfield says Brady’s campaign may be making promises it can’t keep.
“I don’t think it’s a realistic agenda,” Redfield says. “There’s a political aspect to it. No matter what happens in the House, the Democrats are still going to control the Senate, so it’s not like Brady is going to come in with a huge Republican majority that will allow him to have carte blanche.
“The economic reality is that it’s not a one-year sort of thing, even if you’re going to do total austerity,” he continues. “If we’re going to essentially shrink the size of government to live within the existing revenue structure and get out of debt, it would be significantly smaller government. We’re going to be paying more money for a lower level of basic services.”
In voter polls, Brady holds a steady lead of several points over Pat Quinn. Out of at least 27 polls done since Brady’s Republican nomination was announced on March 5, all but two polls have shown Brady leading Quinn, some by as many as 13 percentage points.
That could mean not only a victory for Brady, but for Republicans in general this year, because having a winning candidate at the top of the ballot often helps other candidates of the same party. National dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party could also play a role, and Brady is confident that 2010 will be a Republican year.
“If the election were today, Chapin Rose, Raymond Poe and Dale Righter would be going to Springfield to be part of a majority caucus instead of a minority caucus,” Brady predicted to the crowd at his rally. “… I promise you, if you are willing to do everything in your power to support our election candidates, they will win.”
Contact Patrick Yeagle at pyeagle@illinoistimes.com.
