Another Round of Trump vs. Pritzker

The Governor's latest war of words with Trump reveals Pritzker's lies and hypocrisy in #LetUsPlay debate

As we’ve grown accustomed to throughout the coronavirus pandemic and the #ReturnToPlay debate, Governor Pritzker is big on bravado, but short on specifics.

He likes to speak about the state’s low positivity rate numbers compared to boarding states. But when asked explain to his three-month old sports guidelines (that apply to youth and high school sports in Illinois), why other states with higher positivity rates are playing sports and making it work, he repeatedly declines to offer any details.

“We want to keep Illinoisians safe and out of harm’s way,” Pritzker says as if he’s reciting procedure for how to hide out in one’s basement during a hurricane.

Let’s be clear—there is nothing more important right now for the well being of Illinois than getting our kids back in school and on the playing fields, courts or mats. Anyone who disagrees, shoot me an email or hit me up on Twitter @jonjkerr.

The fact is, in-person school and sporting events are being done safely.

A elementary school in Northbrook is going on seven weeks of in person schooling, five days a week.

A basketball tournament was held in south suburban LaGrange this past weekend:

Illinois High School Sports Central @ihsscentral

✅PLEASE SHARE ✅PLEASE SHARE ✔️Dr. Ngozi Ezike Home La Grange Park District. Email this to here.✔️✔️ngozi.ezike@illinois.gov ✔️IDPH DIRECTOR

But there are maddening inconsistencies—how the high school district in Northbrook, District 225, is struggling to get enough teachers to show up to work to run in-person classes. Or how the basketball tournament in LaGrange went on just a few miles from Lyons Township High School, where basketball games are prevented from being played.

We know about these conflicts. We’ve been seeing them since the outset of the pandemic in March.

Pritzker fails to make mention the positive events—schools open full time, athletic competitions going on without incident—when he speaks. He could compliment the schools that are in session, or the athletic facilities safely holding events and following guidelines. Rather he makes vague references to ‘outbreaks’ in other states and uses more fear-based language. He insists conversations with public health officials are not ‘political’ but ‘science-based.’ He makes these statements with a swaggered certainty mismatched with the nature of the virus—how its variance, its elusiveness, is why Americans are fatigued by it.

The only person who can poke this Bear is the President.

And when Trump jabs at Pritzker, as he did this past weekend, Pritzker is more than willing to speak openly and honestly. And contradicts himself in the process.

I wrote last month about how the war between Pritzker and Trump was at the center of #ReturnToPlay. That ship sailed as football is not being played in 2020, Illinois one of 13 states not playing youth or high school football this fall.

A rekindling of the verbal jousting between Pritzker and Trump this past weekend is the latest datapoint about the political nature of these decisions.

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On Saturday, Trump spoke at a rally in Janesville, WI. This is what he said:

I could tell you what…Illinois could use a new governor. That guy doesn’t know what’s happened. We got to open up that state. They got to open up that state. Kids have to get back to school.

Predictably, Pritzker couldn’t let that shot across the bow go unanswered.

Sunday, he appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.

Here is how he responded to a question about Trump’s comments from the Wisconsin rally:

He’s modeling bad behavior. He doesn’t wear a mask in public. He has rallies where they don’t encourage people to wear masks in public. Truly, this is now rhetoric that people understand, and particularly in rural areas in my state, that, well, the president doesn’t wear a mask, we don’t need to wear a mask, it’s not that dangerous

It rational to say Pritzker, with these comments, is blaming the President for a rise in virus cases in Illinois.

Pritzker will say he’s speaking on behalf of citizens of the state. He’ll say he’s being the leader he was elected to be and Trump should mind his own business.

But the reality is this—Pritzker ignores his own citizens. He doesn’t acknowledge peaceful rallies that have gone on statewide all late summer and fall. When student- athletes make reasonable requests to meet face-to-face, as three did last week, and ask their governor to address concerns about inequities with the state’s current sports guidelines, those athletes are ignored.

Just shut up and do as we say, is the message Pritzker is sending to athletes, parents and coaches. We know better than all of you what should be allowed in your own backyards.

But when Trump says something critical at a rally? He can’t get on national television fast enough.

As I wrote last month, what most motivates Pritzker is elevating his national status amongst Democrats. When Trump speaks at a rally and says something critical, he goes on national television as a means of protecting the shield, not that of Illinois’ but that of the Democratic National Party.

When Trumps says, ‘we got to open up that state’, Pritzker doubles down on reasons to remain closed. It’s what bullies do. One guys throws a wrench, the other one fires back with a hammer.

There is zero motivation for Pritzker to do anything about youth sports other than keep it locked down. This latest taffy pull with Trump lends more credence to a non-decision on basketball until after the election. Any decision that loosens restrictions (an upgrade to Level 3 for basketball, for example) would be seen as caving in to Trump and that’s death to Pritzker within his party.

So the next time Pritzker speaks at a press event and is asked about #ReturnToPlay and repeats the line, “that is a medical decision, left up to doctors and is not a political decision” know that he is lying.

He hates Trump more than he cares about the well-being of kids.