Here is Thomas Lifson writing last week at American Thinker about what is one of my favorite state-level examples of the Republican and conservative failure in the information war:
Democrats have run the corrupt state of Illinois into the ground, and now in classic fashion they are prepared to demonize the Republicans for the consequences. It is a drama that can be repeated elsewhere.
Disgusted voters in deep blue Illinois elected Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, and he took office in January this year, facing a fiscal crisis. There is simply not enough money for Illinois to pay its bills. So some will get paid, others will not. Kristina Rasmussen of Illinois Policy describes what is happening:
“How is the pie of available funds sliced? The worthiness of any given program has little to do with it. Everyone wants food pantries and crisis nurseries to keep their doors open, but tugging on heartstrings won’t get anyone far. Rather, it’s a game of who has rigged the system so they can jump to the head of the line.
Pensioners have a constitutional clause that guarantees their pension benefits can’t be diminished or impaired no matter how dire the state’s fiscal situation. State workers have binding contracts and court orders that ensure they get paid, even if the state government were to shut down. Lawmakers have a statutory continuing appropriation that means they also will get paid no matter what…”
Lifson quotes more from Rasmussen and after a couple of short paragraphs of his own he concludes:
It is a con game pure and simple. And with the help of the Illinois media, it will work once again.
Yep. And since Republicans and conservatives in Illinois have built no alternative pathways for information about the truth to get to voters about this con game — whatever narrative the liberal media embraces is the narrative that rings in voters’ ears on election day. And so Illinois stays “blue” when it need not.
Read Lifson’s entire article here.
Image credit: Illinois Senate chamber/Wikipedia.
