August 9, 2023
By: Katie Clancy
While defending legislation that targets pregnancy resource centers and potentially violates the First Amendment, Governor Pritzker stated, “You have a right to free speech, but you don’t have a right to lie.”
First, that’s not what the First Amendment means, and second, if that’s Governor Pritzker’s standard, he is one of the worst violators out there.
While campaigning for his first term, Pritzker was asked if he would veto a map that was “drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies?”
“Yes, I will pledge to veto. We should amend the constitution to create an independent commission to draw legislative maps, but in the meantime, I would urge Democrats and Republicans to agree to an independent commission to handle creating a new legislative map.”
That was a lie. He approved district maps drawn behind closed doors by politicians and now affect the state’s elections for the next ten years. What’s the consequence for that lie?
As support for his Tax Hike Amendment in 2020 weakened in the weeks leading up to Election Day, Pritzker threatened to hike taxes by 20% on everyone if the tax referendum failed.
Voters rightly rejected this tax hike, and Pritzker did not retaliate with a 20% hike (thankfully!). Voters called his bluff.
Another campaign fib was when Pritzker said he supported Illinois’ tax credit scholarship program in a Chicago Sun-Times Candidate Survey.
These working families are now being used as a political football since Pritzker failed to include the program in the state’s budget and refuses to say whether or not he will extend it.
Will there be any consequences for that documented lie that has the potential to remove 9,000 children from the schools they love?
Do any of these documented lies require punishment under his standard? Perhaps lawsuits, resignation, or even exile?!
After all, we are only holding him accountable to his own standard.
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