CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Question of the day

Re: Question of the day

Bruno_Behrend — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:01:44 -0000

Open road tolling.

Maybe any governor in this time frame would have done it. (and with fewer kick backs)

But it needed doing.
____

I would agree with Vanilla Man save for the fact that one dollar of debt is more than one dollar of tax increase.

Re: Question of the day

Shoeless Joe — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:36:27 -0000

Either the picture of him looking like he was afraid the frog at the State Fair was going to eat him, or his interview with Jon Stewart when he thought The Daily Show was legit...

Re: Question of the day

Doug Dobmeyer — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:03:54 -0000

I have none!

Re: Question of the day

Anon — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:04:19 -0000

When during the Christmas (oops â€œHolidayâ€) tree lighting ceremony at the JRTC his daughter flipped the switch to turn the lights on and it didnâ€™t work. He made a joke that the State hadnâ€™t paid itâ€™s electric bill. I think this was during a time when there was a lot of press about the state not paying its bills. The second time she tried it worked.

Re: Question of the day

Dan S, a taxpaer, a voter and — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:52:51 -0000

My favorite Milorad moment was yesterday reading that my patients had been rewarded.

Re: Question of the day

anon — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:40:00 -0000

Another former staffer I love your story. Rod wasn't one for the formality of office. While some say that he didn't work hard, he really did. And he demanded a lot of his staff, but, in return, he allowed us to have fun, and had fun with us.

Re: Question of the day

VanillaMan — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:26:44 -0000

- VanillaMan - Friday, Apr 3, 09 @ 2:46 pm:

He didnâ€™t raise taxes.

I didn't write that, btw.

Re: Question of the day

another former staffer — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:10:30 -0000

Last year I had the weekend of St. Patrick's Day off work so the Saturday before the parade in Grant Park, I went out with friends downtown only to get home at 5 a.m. the next day (Sunday). I got a call at 7 a.m. telling me I had to be at the parade to walk with the Gov.

I rushed quickly downtown and barely made it to the drop site before the Gov. got there. I tried to hide my hangover behind some sunglasses, but as soon as Rod arrived, the TV cameras had surrounded us, and without missing a beat, he shook my hand, gave me a wink and said on air "I hope you're not driving today."

Re: Question of the day

make it so — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:08:02 -0000

When asked why he flew to Chicago daily from Springfield he responded, "because I want to kiss my baby goodnight." He always seemed to enjoy his daughters.

Re: Question of the day

yorfriend — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:23:03 -0000

Casual, I too witnessed "the hug" between Blago and da Speaka at the Denver Convention. It was the most hilarious thing ever, the way MJM sped across the floor with that big smile toward Rod-man, the brief hug. Madigan got the joke. Rod never did. Seems like you didn't either. Ah, fond memories.

Re: Question of the day

Scooby — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:09:04 -0000

When Rod won in 02 he hired a guy who worked a low wage job at a restaurant he frequented. This was a guy who seemed personable and hard working and Rod said something to the effect of "there's no way I can keep all of the promises I made while running but one thing I do want to do is to give somebody like that guy a chance." So they hired this guy into an at will position in the Governor's office working the front desk and answering the phones. The guy was great with people, worked hard and I think he even went back to school.

Re: Question of the day

ExPress — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:08:12 -0000

In small groups, he was the most charismatic politician I've ever met - funny, self-effacing, seemingly genuine. It was difficult to remember that you were only seeing a facade.

Re: Question of the day

Dan Vock — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:01:37 -0000

The 13-second pause when McKinney asked him if he'd ever smoked pot. I think that was his last trip to the blue room.

Re: Question of the day

anon — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:37:27 -0000

During the 02 general, while at a Fundraiser in Hamilton county at the end of a very long day, rod was telling a story that he had told repeatedly throughout the campaign. However, in this particular instance, a new part of the story emerged where his mother told him that if he sneezed too hard he would get a brain tumor. It was one of those moments where we were all laughed so hard that we couldn't stop. Looking at each other only made us laugh harder. We were so tired and road weary that we were practically crying.

I've spent a lot of time with him, and he is one of the funniest, most light hearted people I ever met. I also believe that while he had the capacity to be narcissistic, he also had a very genuine love for people who didn't have it easy in life. I think he saw his parents in those people and they had his instant admiration.

Re: Question of the day

Prairie Wind — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:25:28 -0000

When he and Patti took Snowwhite and the seven dwarfs hostage and barricaded themselves in the Enchanted Castle. Oh wait, that hasn't happened ...yet.

Re: Question of the day

Scott Lucas — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:16:24 -0000

It was mid-summer 2001, Rod and Cong. Jesse Jackson were attending a GOTV event at the Carver Center is Peoria. After the event Rod pulls me aside and asks "I am thinking about running for Governor, do you think my last name will be a problem?" I told him that with all the money and focus the governor's race generates that his name wouldn't be a problem, then I asked him the Ted Kennedy question---Why are you running for Governor? His response was astounding---"Well, I am tired of traveling to Washington and want to spend more time with my family." I knew Rod from the state legislature but never spent much time with him. He sounded sincere but not serious. I ended up backing Vallas.

Re: Question of the day

Chanson — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:15:47 -0000

His having nothing to fear except the truth.

Re: Question of the day

Rexford Tugwell — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:46:47 -0000

I will remember Rod as a court jester, a half-wit, rather than a nit-wit. Offering to send in the State Police to help Mayor Daley, ect...

He was smart enough to operate state government with 13,000 fewer state employees than Governors Thompson, Edgar and Ryan, but not engaged enough to care about efficiently managing the 57,000 state employee enterprise. Taxpayers will pay billions to fund bloated AFSCME contracts while citizens remain short changed in public education and infrastructure improvements.

Re: Question of the day

Former Staffer — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:44:00 -0000

This is not intended to be snarky. This is truly my fondest memory of him because it allowed me to see him for what he really is.

After negotiating his very first budget in '03 but before the final vote was taken, he was talking to me about some things that were in it. In doing so, he lied to my face about a relatively important aspect of the agreement, and one in which he assuredly knew the truth. Quite literally seconds later, Tusk came over to me, said he overheard the conversation and wanted to set the record straight.

I'm proud to say I never voted for him, either in a primary or a general election, but I did give him a chance and I really did hope he would succeed with what he said he wanted to do. That episode, however, confirmed my worst fears and I never trusted a thing he said again.

Re: Question of the day

Lefty Lefty — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:28:58 -0000

What's most amazing to me is that he tried to do his version of the right thing--better access to health care, better highways, closing landfills, etc.--that would be considered great accomplishments for a Democrat. And he screwed the whole thing up in a manner unprecedented in US history.

Re: Question of the day

L.S. — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:16:37 -0000

After the 02 election I went to a grant annoucement at some farm in central ill. It was a beautiful day, the mood was great, everyone was getting along and there was tremendous excitement about a Dem. governor and what the future holds.....if only we knew then.

Re: Question of the day

It's Me — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:13:50 -0000

without a doubt, open road tolling was a great success. I can't point to one other accomplishment he can claim in his 6 years as Governor.

Re: Question of the day

Wumpus — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:11:35 -0000

All the other d legislators supporting him despite the obvious. They rode his coattails

Re: Question of the day

Quinn T. Sential — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:03:03 -0000

I only met the man once; in a chance encounter when I happened upon him greeting the large crowd at the entrance coming into a non political event I happened to be attending, which was less than a week before the 2002 Primary. I was waiting at the entrance for a friend to meet me and I had about 10 minutes of casual conversation with him between groups of people that were coming in.

I asked him about the campaign; and I specifically asked him about the breadth and scope of his support and political activity in Madison and St. Clair Counties. He told me " I've spent a lot of time down there and I've got people there as well, and I think I've got that pretty well covered"

The margin of victory there; and Vallas' reluctance to fly and campaign there, could arguably be cited as the difference in the outcome of that election.

Re: Question of the day

Larry Mullholland — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:02:08 -0000

Blago; "Today was an UP DAY"...after a crushing defeat. oh my