THE ILLINOIZE: One year since first COVID Executive Order...Is Biden May 1 goal attainable?...Sen. Duckworth's pottymouth shot at Carlson (she's right, btw)...Some county GOP insist on maskless events
March 12, 2021
Good morning.
One year ago today, Governor JB Pritzker issued his first COVID-19 related Executive Order. That one was related to deadlines for cannabis applications. It was one year ago tomorrow he stopped gatherings over 1,000 people and closed schools. He closed bars and restaurants a couple of days later.
One year.
76 Executive Orders.
1.2 million Illinoisans have tested positive.
20,000 in this state have died.
In next Tuesday’s newsletter, we’ll talk about what the uncertainty did in the final days before the 2020 primary.
For more than 2 million Illinoisans who have received at least one dose of vaccine, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. For many others, it’s been a frustrating experience trying to get the potentially life-saving vaccine.
And then there are those that believe it’s all fake.
This newsletter will touch on a little of all of those things.
Let’s get into it.
THE ROLLOUT CONTINUES
We split from the suburbs yesterday to follow Governor JB Pritzker to Morris as he opened a new National Guard operated COVID-19 vaccine clinic in the community.
I’ve been pretty frustrated with the Governor’s less-than-satisfactory explanation for the last second changes in the eligibility for the United Center. It happened at the last second, limiting the whole location a handful of ZIP Codes in the city while people in suburban Cook County, Will County, McHenry County and others have a terrible time finding an available appointment. That’s not equity, that’s playing favorites.
But, yesterday, Pritzker announced that some of the extra vaccine that will be sent to Illinois as part of the “deal” to limit accessibility at the United Center will go to small, mostly rural hospitals around the state.
He also defended the rollout and slow ramp-up of vaccinations and infrastructure over the past few months.
For example: If you go from the lakefront in the city (where you would theoretically be served by the United Center at some point) and follow the Indiana state line south past Kankakee, Danville, Charleston-Mattoon, past where the Wabash River picks up the border, you won’t find a mass vaccination site within, in some cases, hours.
Think about it this way: if you work at the North American Lighting facility in Paris but live in, say, southern Vermilion County, you have to take a day off of work to drive up to Danville for an appointment (if you can get one), twice, or you’re in a position in which you have to drive 2 hours or more to Springfield to use the closest mass vaccination site.
Obviously, the hope is the Pritzker administration or federal government would put a mass site together with weekend hours in Danville or Charleston or Champaign-Urbana, but there’s no guarantee of that.
Some Republicans are critical of the rollout thus far.
State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) put out a statement yesterday saying, in part, “We have continually asked the Governor’s administration to provide more transparency on his vaccination rollout data, including his formula for allocation and why some counties are receiving far more vaccinations than others, so we can better understand the process and communicate it to our constituents.”
Here’s our story on the Governor’s stop in Morris yesterday.
CAN ILLINOIS MEET BIDEN’S GOAL?
Last night, President Biden directed states to make all adults eligible to receive COVID vaccines no later than May 1.
Outside of the supply issue, which is the biggest one, does Illinois have the vaccination infrastructure to make it happen?
I asked both the Governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health last night, and neither responded to our request. The Governor’s office did post on Facebook last night “…because of their pledge to deliver more vaccine in the coming days and months, we've built the vaccine infrastructure to prepare for this moment.”
That’s not exactly a commitment.
I texted Julie Pryde, the Administrator of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, last night and asked her the same question. Can we do it? Her response:
“Yes!!!”
In fact, she said she could vaccinate every single person in Champaign County (population around 210,000) in a week if “we had all the vaccine at once.”
We’ll keep asking around today and try to get a story up on the website this afternoon.
DUCKWORTH TAKES ON TUCKER
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, who quietly announced her run for re-election last week, caused a little more of a wave yesterday tweeting “F—-k Tucker Carlson,” as in, the highest rated host on FOX News.
Wednesday night, Carlson went on a rant about the feminization of American culture (or something like that) because President Biden promoted two female generals and the military should accept women with different haircuts and flight suits that take pregnancy into account.
It was a totally asinine, pointless rant aimed at demeaning women. Duckworth, though, has a little more reason to be offended. I’m sure you recall she lost her legs in 2004 when the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a RPG fired by Iraqi insurgents.
Duckworth received a Purple Heart. Tucker went to boarding school in Switzerland.
I have significant policy issues with Sen. Duckworth. But for Tucker Carlson to demean women who have been willing to give their lives for our country says more about him than it does about actual heroes.
I’m sure she’ll also get a fundraising boost from going after the face of FOX, which I’ll bet she’s not complaining about.
Also, a lot of people ask me what Republican is most likely to take her on next year now that Rep. Adam Kinzinger has mostly taken himself out of contention. My answer?
REPUBLICANS CONTINUE LARGE, MASKLESS GATHERINGS
At least four county Republican organizations have scheduled large, unmasked indoor events this month.
The “Lincoln Day” dinners, which are traditional GOP events, have already been held in Clay County in southeastern Illinois and Douglas County in east central Illinois.
In fact, in Douglas County, the dinner was held this Tuesday and was attended by Republican Senators Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington), and Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet). All three Senators were back in Springfield Wednesday as the Senate was in session.
Watching downstate Republicans continue to flout simple safety protocols, not even the fact that they’re mandated, is frustrating to many suburban Republicans, who know they’ll have the downstate actions hung over their heads in the 2022 election cycle.
“These guys,” said one exasperated suburban Republican elected official. “This kind of crap is the reason we can’t win [in the suburbs.] We look like the party of crazy.”
Clay County Republican Chairman Bryan West e-mailed The Illinoize calling Governor JB Pritzker’s mask mandate “arbitrary.”
“Arguably, he has no authority and no ability to enforce the "rules" he puts in place,” West said, not noting the legislature gave the governor the legal authority for the actions decades ago. “The issue isn't whether or not it's safe (safe is a relative term). The issue is how powerful you want one person to be. By the way, I prefer a dangerous freedom over a safe slavery.”
I’ll just leave it at that and let you digest that last quote.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy Birthday today to Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Former Lt. Governor Sheila Simon and State Rep. Omar Williams celebrate tomorrow. Former State Rep. Emily McAsey celebrates Sunday.
BEFORE WE GO
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