Politicians who want Pat Quinn’s job are criticizing the governor’s first traditional State of the State address. Quinn Wednesday urged cooperation to solve Illinois’ budget problems.
Quinn spent much of the speech touting his record in the past year after taking over when Rod Blagojevich was booted from office.
QUINN: I think when time is written, and history is written, people will look back and say that the members of the General Assembly, together with the governor, in 2009, heard the people and enacted fundamental ethical reforms.
Quinn’s State of the State was ridiculed by his Democratic primary opponent, Comptroller Dan Hynes, who says it was more like a “Pat Quinn State of Mind Speech.”
HYNES: We have a governor who refuses to lead, has not solved problems, our deficit is getting worse not better.
Republican candidates for governor joined in the criticism. Former state GOP chair Andy McKenna says the state’s problems are bigger now than they were when Quinn took office. And state Senator Kirk Dillard says Quinn’s speech lacked “vision.”