Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey on Saturday told a Palestinian TV station he opposed the state legislation aimed at blocking the BDS movement. And on the same day, when he visited the Palestinian American Club, he spoke in front of a map that erased the name Israel and had “Palestine” as the name of that place stretching between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
On that occasion, Bailey also promised to repeal the state law that prohibits public pension funds from investing in companies that boycott Israel.
Of course, as the Chicago Tribune pointed out, it was Republican Governor Bruce Rauner who enacted the anti-BDS law in 2015. It was passed unanimously by the legislature. Of course, Bailey was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2018, three years later, or that vote would have been 117 to 1.
“I’ll always stand on the constitution,” Bailey told his Palestinian buddies, adding: “and it sounds like some of those values are being stepped on right now,” and, “The Muslim community, the Arab community will always have a seat with me as we learn together, work together, and live together.”
Did you know Republicans knew all the words to Kumbaya?
State Senator Darren Bailey (R-IL) made a pit stop this past weekend at the Palestinian American Club where he spoke in front of a map that erased Israel, depicted the entire region as “Palestine” & restored Golan Heights to Syria
Bailey also compared the Holocaust to abortion – pic.twitter.com/ISwKg5fKHi
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) September 13, 2022
Here’s a cute story I dug up from Wiki: In April 2020, Bailey sued Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, saying his stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was unfairly affecting residents of Clay County, Bailey’s constituency. A judge granted a temporary restraining order against the stay-at-home order, but only for Bailey, no one else. Governor Pritzker called Bailey’s lawsuit a “cheap political stunt.” Then, on May 20, 2020, the Illinois House voted 81–27 to remove Bailey from its session for refusing to wear a mask. The following day, Bailey wore a mask.
That’s why, after his pro-BDS speech was attacked by practically every Jewish person in Illinois with a Twitter account, Bailey tried to walk back his brave talk. On Tuesday he was asked by reporters about his appearance before the Palestinian American Club, and said, “I strongly support Israel. I always have and I always will. But I will listen to everyone who wants to come to the table and talk.”
So, the reporters pressed on and asked Bailey if he really plans to repeal the anti-BDS law, and Bailey told them: “That was a conversation that I had had with them earlier, and they told me that it was unconstitutional. I said if it is, we’ll take a look at that.”
Two bits says he’ll sing Hatikvah by Thursday.
Some more Bailey goodies? In a 2017 Facebook video, he said the lives lost in the Nazi Holocaust paled in comparison to lives lost from abortions.
Bailey also said that “more people have been murdered in Chicago (which he dubbed a “hellhole”) this year than New York City and Los Angeles combined.” He was wrong by a mile and a half. According to Chicago police statistics (through last) Sunday, there were 479 homicides this year. NYPD statistics show 299 murders (through Sunday), and LAPD reports 270 – a combined total of at least 569, 90 more than Chicago. So, there.
