Former Gov. Edgar Crosses Party Lines On Tax Hike, Immigration

By aaroncynic in News on Apr 9, 2010 7:00PM

Former Governor Jim Edgar bucked the Republican party line Thursday by showing support for Governor Quinn’s proposed tax hikes. At a speech on leadership at Elmhurst College, Edgar praised Quinn for calling for a tax increase, saying ""There is no easy way out of the mess we are in. I give Governor Quinn credit for having the courage to call for a tax increase in an election year. I don’t think he can get by, if you are going to solve this, without a tax increase.” Quinn’s opponent, Bill Brady, has pledged to solve the state’s $13 billion and growing budget deficit by reducing spending alone.

Supporting the tax increase isn’t the former governor’s only departure from Republican talking points this week. Edgar has also thrown his support behind immigration reform, trying to convince fellow Republicans to support a Democrat sponsored House bill that would offer illegal immigrants a chance to obtain legal status.

The Brady campaign might do well to take an ear from the former two term governor, who managed to pay off the backlog of Illinois bills he inherited during his tenure along with making reforms to various state programs. Unfortunately, political discourse during election season doesn’t allow much civil disagreement between members of the same party, let alone opposing parties. The Daily Herald reports Edgar received angry calls from some Brady supporters. Still, we feel it’s good to see some thoughtful commentary in the age of angry rhetoric.