Individuals and groups had their own varied responses to the Nov. 4 election results. Windy City Times garnered reactions from said organization and a cross-section of people. Reactions are below:
—Equality Illinois: "The people of Illinois have spoken, giving Bruce Rauner the chance to lead. As do all Illinoisans, we hope that as Bruce Rauner turns to governing he will recognize that he serves everyone in the state, including LGBT individuals and their families, and the clear majority of Illinoisans who support LGBT equality.
"As Mr. Rauner wraps up his political campaign, Equality Illinois will be ready to work with him to advance equal treatment and social justice for all in the Land of Lincoln."
—ACLU of Illinois: "As a non-partisan organization that doesn't engage in electoral politics or make endorsements, the ACLU was pleased to see that most Illinois voters evinced support for civil liberties at the ballot box. Voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional question aimed at protecting voting rights, even as other states implemented voter-suppression measures."
—Kim Hunt, executive director of Affinity Community Services: "Last Tuesday [Nov. 4], a latent fear crept into my consciousness as election results came in from across the country, especially the governor's race here in Illinois. Then I remembered that a Republican majority in Congress and a Republican governor in Illinois were conditions that I've experienced much of my adult life.
"So, while I find the election results challenging, my faith is and has always been in the phrase 'we, the people.' Social- and economic-justice wins and losses are a feature of our democracy, no matter which party holds the majority. The critical piece is for the people to own and exercise their power beyond the ballot box."
—Activist Michael O'Connor: "The robocall election hanky-panky [telling Chicago election judges they had to take additional training—which was not true] resulted in at least 2,000-3,000 election judges failing to show up at polling places throughout Chicago. This, of course, adversely affected thousands of Chicago voters who took the time out of their day to have their voices heard!
"And then, to add insult to injury, I observed the 'We Need a Change in Springfield' governor-elect, Bruce Rauner, introduce his transition team to the public, where the majority of members clearly consist of the same mixture of well-known special-interest prostitutes standing next to the same group of miseducated African-American clergy members who publicly opposed marriage equality, but, continue to keep prayerfully silent concerning budget cuts that will adversely affect many within their congregations.
"Finally, regarding the voting results and the election results in general, and after seeing the governor-elect's transition team and the Chicago ward breakdown of votes, I'm reminded of Joe Heller, who said 'The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.'"
—Activist Andy Thayer: "That the Democrats got shellacked last week should have surprised nobody. On a host of issues, they conceded the core of the right's arguments, in turn demoralizing the party's base.
"As blue-blood as Rauner is, Quinn couldn't credibly pose as a friend of working people after he'd just cut tens of thousands of people's pensions. As racist against immigrants as so many Republicans have shown themselves, Obama couldn't credibly pose as a friend of immigrants after having spent the last six years as deporter-in-chief, the president who has deported more than any other in history.
"He couldn't credibly pose as a peace and human-rights president after failing to close Guantanamo, authorizing unprecedented domestic surveillance and murderous drone strikes in a half dozen nations, and becoming the fourth president in a row to bomb Iraq.
"With key issues like war, immigrant rights and climate change ( the Keystone pipeline ) probably coming to a head next year, we cannot put our trust in a political system that decides policy based on who puts the most money in its pockets. The kind of sweeping social-justice change that we urgently need has always come from movements of people in the streets."
—Consultant Jim Schiefelbein: "Though the election results were disappointing, they were hardly surprising given the general apathy and lethargy of the electorate. Younger voters—particularly LGBTs and progressives—must start to realize how swiftly the gains we've made of late can potentially be swept away.
"Our foes are well-funded and relentless. They were waiting for just such a lag in our energy and interest. Our battle is not even half-won; our commitment must be renewed to fight on."
—Chicago musician Jeannie Tanner: "I'm actually kind of dazed and confused as to how so many conservatives could get elected—not just in Illinois, but around the country. These conservative politicians clearly have loyalties to corporate interests and have little regard for women's issues. And, in a time of acute need for solutions to climate change, most of the newly elected officials don't believe that the environment is a priority ( or at least that's what they say publicly ). I hope Hillary announces soon!"
—Edmond Yomtoob, Psy.D.: "I like to think about world events and politics in family therapy terms. These elections were characterized by frustration, blame, fear-baiting, name-calling and overt lying. I can only hope that our elected officials will live up to their recent promises of working together after the election.
"Even the most dysfunctional system can learn to create repair, but it requires motivation, courage and willingness to learn new ways of being. As a clinician, I always remain hopeful; as a citizen, I am much more skeptical."
—Former mayoral liaison Bill Greaves: "I'm disturbed by the election results on Nov. 4, first and foremost because of the low voter turnout locally and nationally, especially among young voters. According to the Sun-Times, in Chicago 36.4 percent of registered voters went to the polls, and of those, only 4.2 percent were 25 and below. Nationally, it was worse.
"Also, I'm deeply disturbed that so many Republicans who were elected to Congress are right-wing Republicans who don't understand or believe in science. Our nation—and the world—is facing crises in such areas as climate change, environmental degradation and contagious disease that require an understanding of science and a commitment to work with scientists in order to achieve solutions.
"In Illinois, we have a newly elected Republican governor who publicly declared his homophobia at the outset of his campaign and who has appointed two of Chicago's slimiest anti-gay ministers to his transition team. Furthermore, although during the campaign Rauner often appeared in the presence of African-American ministers, the record shows that there are no African-Americans working as executives in his businesses and that he hired no minority-owned firms to work on his campaign. That's more than worrisome.
"All we can do now is hold our elected officials accountable for governing and make sure they address issues that need to be addressed to assure our future."
