Quinn, Brady Spar In ABC7 Debate
By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 21, 2010 2:00PM
Gubernatorial candidates Pat Quinn and Bill Brady put on a show last night during their highly rehearsed debate on ABC7, evading questions like the best politicians while taking potshots at each other throughout the hour-long debate. This debate and the personal attacks for the most part followed the same script as the previous three debates between Quinn and Brady.
Each candidate appeared comfortable while appealing to any African-Americans watching that they wold best serve their interests. Quinn, referencing forums and debates that Brady skipped that were organized by African-American groups, painted his opponent as someone who doesn't show up when needed to lead. Although maybe Quinn shouldn't be using "Ninety percent of being governor is showing up" as a campaign platform soon. Brady attacked Quinn's labor deal with AFSCME and job creation. Quinn countered by mentioning new jobs created by Ford, Navistar and Groupon as companies willing to do business in Illinois.
Brady continued to play the fear card throughout the debate, deriding Quinn as a governor who can't lead and as an insider who gave his staff "secret pay raises" who "slashed" public safety and racked up billions of dollars in debt. Both wriggled free of pointed questions from ABC7 political reporter Charles Thomas and Better Government Association Executive Director Andy Shaw about how they would reduce the budget deficit and about transparency in doing so. Brady again went all in on his "no new taxes" pledge while Quinn preferred to have an audit of the budget through referendum.
Although Shaw and Thomas did their best to obtain direct answers for their queries from the candidates, one question from the third panelist, Rebecca Sanchez of Spanish-language newspaper Extra, tripped up the otherwise well-prepared Brady. Sanchez asked Brady, who spent much of the debate tying Quinn to business as usual in Springfield by invoking Rod Blagojevich's name, about a fundraiser Brady held that was attended by former Blagojevich fundraisers Dean Martinez and Juan Ochoa. Brady played dumb until Sanchez mentioned Ochoa and Martinez by name, then answered, "they're good people."
Quinn pounced on the opening provided by Sanchez, reminding viewers that he fired Martinez. Given Brady's constant portrayal of Quinn as someone who turned a blind eye to Blagojevich's shady dealings, the news that two of Blago's former fundraisers attending a Brady fundraiser smacks at the very least of hypocrisy. If the media picks up on the story and hounds Brady with it for the next two weeks, it could possibly provide Quinn with a "Dewey Defeats Truman" moment.