Speaking just 90 minutes after yet another mass shooting, (and with his own constituents among the dead), Illinois GOP nominee for Governor Darren Bailey didn’t limit himself to the usual Thoughts-And-Prayers.
Surrounded by a group of supporters holding campaign signs, the Trump-endorsed nominee from downstate Illinois who once called for Chicago to be expelled from the state took to Facebook Live to call for everyone to “move on and celebrate the independence of this nation.”
Let’s all move on and celebrate?
Maybe it ought to go without saying–if only for decorum’s sake–that what Bailey was suggesting is that we all hurry up and move on from is the murder of 7 innocent people who wanted to celebrate the 4th of July. Just move on from the maiming of dozens and dozens of others, and the lifelong trauma of every attendee who had to run for their lives.
Lost the ability to have compassion
But this callousness and utter lack of empathy should probably come as no surprise, considering the source. As Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger noted, “This is what happens with MAGA type candidates. They have been so trained with “own the libs” and anger that they lost the ability to have compassion.”
“Let’s all move on and celebrate,” Bailey said. Then, he used the horrific moment to launch into a political diatribe, saying, “We know the mission: we have got to get corruption and evil out of our government, and we have got to elect men and women of honor and of courage, to get this country and this state back on track.”
For the record: this same Bailey used Facebook in 2020 to raffle off a semi-automatic rifle to his supporters.
Bailey will face-off against incumbent Governor J.B. Pritzker in November’s general election. Pritzker made headlines in the run-up to the Illinois primary for spending an estimated 30 million dollars of his own campaign funds to elevate Bailey, who was widely considered to be the weaker GOP candidate (for Illinois) in a strong Republican environment.
Pritzker’s used his remarks following the shooting to call for stricter gun control laws.
“Our founders carried muskets, not assault weapons, and I don’t think a single one of them would have said you have a constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine – or that that is more important than the right of the people who attended this parade today to live,” Pritzker said.