To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here. Pritzker grilled by Phil Ponce Friday, Jun 16, 2017 * From the ILGOP… Morning Rich, Take a listen to Pritzker’s interview on WTTW last night when you get a chance. “Yikes” is really the operative word after watching this. http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/06/15/jb-pritzker-battles-crowded-democratic-field-rauner Pritzker comes across terribly in this, ducking basic questions. Looks like a total insider. For instance, Pritzker was asked three times whether he thinks we should ban property tax assessors from accepting contributions from property tax appeals attorneys. He dodged every time. He even criticized Chris Kennedy for using property tax appeals attorneys who donated to Berrios, when Pritzker’s lawyers did the same - giving six figure contributions to Berrios and his daughter. Towards the beginning of the interview, Pritzker also said that his uninhabitable mansion was “in disrepair when we acquired it.” As interior photos from when the property was sold to the Pritzkers show, the mansion was clearly liveable. Finally, towards the end of the interview Pritzker is given two opportunities to criticize Madigan for anything and ducks the question each time. Not a good interview for Pritzker’s campaign at all. Thanks,

Steven * They also sent along three clips… He’d only say that the question should be looked at in the broader context of campaign finance reform. I suppose we should give him a bit of credit for staying on message. He’s almost as disciplined as Gov. Rauner in that regard. * And… He needs a better answer than this. * And here’s the unintentionally funny Madigan dodge… Lots and lots and lots of words. * On the other hand, the Pritzker folks sent along their own clips, with transcripts. Ponce asked whether Pritzker considers Chris Kennedy to be his biggest competitor right now… * Transcript… Ponce: By the way, do you consider Chris Kennedy to be your biggest competitor right now? JB: My biggest competitor is Bruce Rauner. I think that us having a fight with him this Democratic primary and attacking one another is a mistake. I think that there are 8 candidates as you mentioned at the beginning of the broadcast. And the 8 candidates on the Democratic side all believe one thing, which is Bruce Rauner should not be governor and we should be focusing on the failures of this governor because he is the one who has not stepped up to the plate with a constitutionally mandated budget. I mean, a balanced budget is what is required in this state and we’ve now gone 716 days without a balanced budget, without even passing a budget. It’s longer than any other state in the United States, in the history of the United States, so that is a massive failure and as you know, one of the challenges of that is the safety net is falling through. That people aren’t able to get to a mental health facility because they’re closing, they can’t find a shelter because they’re closed, and we’ve got unfortunately middle class and people who are striving to get to the middle class who are looking for jobs and this governor hasn’t created any because he isn’t passing a budget. Who wants to invest in jobs in this state if we don’t have a budget and you don’t know what the future is going to look like? He’s created massive uncertainty. * Ponce then asked how Pritzker would improve the state’s fiscal problems… * Transcript… Ponce: As we mentioned, the state’s credit worthiness is now just approaching junk status, how would you change that if you were elected governor? JB: Well first thing that all the rating agencies have said about our state is ‘Pass a budget, balance the budget,’ so the first thing you’ve got to do is get that done. And remember the new governor doesn’t come in until January of 2019, so I hope the problems don’t get worse between now and then, but it does appear this governor really isn’t going to get to a budget. We’ll see. I hope they do get to a budget in Springfield. But in January 2019 the very first thing we are going to have to do is pass a stopgap half year balanced budget, and then we are going to have go for a full year at the same time balanced budget. And that’s going to require real leadership. Phil: JB Pritzker, so much of you is known in the public sphere, personally what do you want people to know about you and who you are as a person and your background that maybe they don’t know? JB: Maybe the most important thing to know is that my life I have tried to work hard for the social justice values that my parents stood for. The things that really matter to me are standing up for people who don’t have somebody standing up for them. And in the state of Illinois that unfortunately has been middle class, people who are striving to get to the middle class, and the people dependent upon the safety net in the state. No one’s really standing up for them and those are the fundamental values of the Democratic Party too. So when I become governor that’s my goal, is to stand up for them, it’s to make their lives easier, and you know we need a progressive income tax. Frankly, I think we are going to need to get, to legalize marijuana so that we can get some tax revenue in there too, and also change the criminal justice system around that, make us safer. But there are a lot of things that need changing in the state especially expanding health care and not contracting it like the way Donald Trump and his local partner Bruce Rauner are trying to. * Other stuff… * Rep. Will Guzzardi endorses Sen. Daniel Biss * Twitter coverage of Ameya Pawar’s “virtual town hall” - Posted by Rich Miller

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