Mike Frerich's hometown newspaper, the Champaign News-Gazette called him out for his shenanigans today.
In an editorial they say:
Here's a little history lesson Frerichs hopes people don't remember. Illinois is a solid Democratic state. Democrats control the governor's office, both houses of the Legislature with veto-proof majorities, and the Supreme Court.
Republicans last controlled both houses of the Legislature in 1994. They last controlled one legislative chamber, the Senate, in 2003. They last had a Republican governor — George Ryan — in 2003. They're out of power and out of luck, hoping somehow to win back public confidence and begin playing a significant role in the formulation of public policy.
But they're not there yet. In fact, they're not even close. That's why Frerichs' characterization of Cross is preposterous.
That's not to say that Republicans wouldn't have messed up the state as badly as the Democrats if they had held power over the past 10 years. After all, voters turned their backs on them for a reason.
But Cross and the GOP didn't create the current mess because they didn't have the opportunity to do so. They were out, and the Democrats, of whom Frerichs is one, were in. Cross has his flaws. Most politicians do. But Frerichs' rhetoric was so over-the-top that he must have been confusing Cross with Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
