Posted on 02/23/2017 7:37:01 PM PST by markomalley
Indiana was a very important swing (and “Western”) state for a lot of history, that led to a lot of VPs, though Dan Q and Mike Pence continue the tradition.
Hopefully it never makes it out of committee because Rauner's track record for vetoing awful bills has been terrible. He's been a good little combiner. I agree that there are better issues to primary him on that "Obama Day" though.
Right now, I believe the only "official" Illinois state holiday (as in government offices and schools are closed throughout the state) is "Casmir Pulaski Day", another stupid concept that should have just been "Polish Heritage Day" and would have accomplished the same goal as creating a holiday for an obscure Revolutionary War general that never set foot in Illinois his entire life.
Reagan's Birthday is a far better choice for a state holiday than Obama, the only reason it isn't seriously discussed is that the state government is overwhelmingly leftist and Reagan's birthday being in February makes it problematic with all the other presidential holidays (Washington, Lincoln, etc.) being around the same time. Obama Day is a joke, if Democrats were honest they could probably admit that they even they realize in hindsight that he was a mediocre president. Pretty much the only one to publicly say so was Amy Blagojevich, and that's because Obama refused to pardon her daddy.
I am intrigued by the idea of an "Illinois Presidents" day as a compromise solution the state government could agree to. Boring August has no holidays and Obama was born in August, they could get "bipartisan" support for this bill if they decided a day August would be set aside to honor "Illinois Leadership Day" and cite Lincoln, Grant, Reagan, Obama, and even non-presidents like Melville Fuller, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen. Throw in all the Adali Stevenson's too so the Dems will vote for the bill. The legislature could include an idea that there would be initiatives to teach future generations about these famous figures.
If Gov. Rauner gets a conservative primary opponent, there are better reasons. Within the next month, he’ll choose whether he’ll sign or veto these bills. One bill would increase the income tax rate. One bill would establish more sanctuary places for illegal aliens. One bill would use government money for abortions. I’m sure, but I think that Rauner will sign all three bills.
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