OntheWilderSide

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney reacted with very little surprise to lack of substance in the debate between Governor Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bill Brady at Elmhurst College on Sunday night. Whitney emphasized that the scarcity of any real solutions by either candidate only furthered his argument that he should be included in all debates.

“Last night only underscores the need for responsible civic organizations to include me in all future debates,” Whitney explained. “Quinn and Brady spent about 3/4 of the time attacking each other and most of the other 1/4 of the time speaking in vague generalities that did not address the question asked. Despite being asked 4 or 5 times, in 4 or 5 different ways, how they would solve the budget crisis, they still failed to explain how they would close the $13 billion structural deficit with any steps that would even remotely approach that figure.”

“Pat Quinn’s main argument for people to vote for him is that he’s not Bill Brady. Bill Brady’s main argument for people to vote for him is that he’s not Pat Quinn. Well, guess what? I’m not Pat Quinn or Bill Brady, and I have an actual plan to solve the budget deficit crisis, using real math, where the revenues will meet the expenditures we need to fund our school, colleges, essential social services, public safety, environmental protection and the other core functions of government. I remain the only candidate in this race who has presented such a plan. And this adds a compelling reason why I should be included in all future gubernatorial debates. It’s not only the fact that the Green Party is an established party and that we have earned a place at the table. It’s not only the fact that the voters of this state deserve to hear all points of view so that they can make an informed choice as to who is the best candidate for governor. It’s also the fact that our state is in a fiscal emergency and the people of this state need to know that there is a candidate providing real answers. We have to fix our broken tax system, create fair taxation, tax the speculators, create a state bank and cut wasteful spending born of political favoritism, not legitimate public need.”

Whitney concluded that “as I proved in Carbondale, it is clear that I should be included in all future debates. I answered the questions with direct, honest answers. It is pretty obvious that my opponents don’t have any idea what is going on. Quinn and Brady are so out of touch with reality that they think that the people of Illinois can’t see through their empty arguments. There is still time the League of Women voters to do the right thing for the state of Illinois and let me in.”

Rich Whitney is a 55-year-old civil rights and employment lawyer from Carbondale. As a lawyer, he has fought for working people who have lost their jobs or had their rights violated. A founder of the Illinois Green Party, he has long been politically active in support of the labor, health-care reform, environmental, civil rights, and peace movements. In 2006, he served as the Green Party’s first candidate for Governor, winning over 360,000 votes and making it possible for Illinois voters to have a third choice on the ballot statewide.

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Filed under: 3rd party, debate, election, Election 2010, elections, governor, grassroots democracy, Green Party, politics, third party, US Politics Tagged: | Bill Brady, billbrady, Elmhurst College, Governor Quinn, green, IL Governor debate, Illinois, Illinois Governor debate, Illinois Governor race, Illinois Green Party, patquinn, richwhitney