Proft Surprised by Dillard's Entrance into the Race, as a Republican

July 8, 2009

In anticipation of State Senator Kirk Dillard’s announcement this morning of his candidacy for Governor, conservative reform gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft issued the following statement:

I want to welcome Sen. Dillard to the race, though I admit to being a bit surprised he decided to run as a Republican.

I want to make it clear from the outset, as a point of differentiation, that I will refuse any offer made by President Barack Obama to appear in Dan Proft for Governor television commercials.

At his announcement this morning, Sen. Dillard will likely tout his 15 years of experience in the Illinois General Assembly and his track record of bi-partisanship.

So let’s review both:

Dillard’s bipartisanship – Endorsement of Barack Obama.  Sen. Dillard appeared in a campaign commercial for then-Sen. Obama during the Presidential primary campaign in which Dillard said,

“Senator Obama worked on some of the deepest issues we had and he was successful in a bi-partisan way…Republican legislators respected Sen. Obama.  His negotiation skills and his ability to understand both sides would serve the country well.”

http://www.chicagogop.com/MyBlog/Kirk-Dillard-Desperate-To-Rebuild-Reputation.html

Sen. Dillard calls this “statesmanship”, not an endorsement.  I disagree.  I would ask Sen. Dillard how well he thinks President Obama’s skills are in fact serving the country after all?  

Dillard’s 15 years in the General Assembly – Taxes, Spending, Debt.

Blago’s $10 billion bond scheme. Sen. Dillard was one of only four GOP State Senators to cross party lines in order to vote for Rod Blagojevich’s $10 billion bond scheme in 2003.  This deal doubled the state’s bonded indebtedness in one fell swoop.  This insider deal is also famously remembered for the $800,000 fee given to disgraced former GOP National Committeeman Bob Kjellander as part of that deal.

By contrast, I opposed the bond deal in writing and I called for Kjellander’s resignation after the details of this deal came to light six years ago, and was one of the first Republicans in Illinois to do so.

Sales tax increase to bail out the RTA.  Last year, Sen. Dillard was one of only three GOP State Senators to vote to increase the sales tax in Cook and the collar counties to bail out the mismanaged Regional Transit Authority, an entity that is already subsidized by the state for half of its operating budget each year.

By contrast, I am the only candidate for Governor who publicly called out Sen. Dillard and the other two GOP State Senators at the time for voting for this tax increase/bailout:  http://www.urqmedia.com/proft/contentview.asp?c=206156

State Spending. During Sen. Dillard’s 15 years in Springfield, general fund spending in the state has increased at nearly four times the rate of population growth in Illinois (adjusted for inflation).    The profligate spending in state government is the primary reason we have “budget crises” like the one we have currently for FY 2010.

By contrast, I am the only candidate for Governor who has proposed statutory spending caps for state government because I understand that fundamentally we have a spending problem not a revenue problem.

It is important to recall that for half of Sen. Dillard’s tenure, the GOP was in the majority in the State Senate so there were plenty of opportunities to propose system change ideas.

Sen. Dillard is an affable gentleman.  In fact, I like him.

But the question for conservatives is this:  Are we going to nominate someone who thinks our state’s problems can be solved through closer cooperation with political insiders intent on preserving a fixed system?  Or are we going to nominate a candidate who will take the fight to the Chicago Democrats on behalf of people who play by the rules in Illinois?

For Republicans who think our state’s problems can be solved by tinkering on the margins and through closer cooperation with the current power structure, Sen. Dillard is your candidate.

For Republicans who think it is time we un-fix Illinois and who believe we need to re-establish our party as one with big policy ideas that flow from clearly defined first principles and substantively address the pressing issues of the day, I am your candidate.