Wednesday marked Governor's Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield.
But for the governor, it wasn't a very good day.
Pat Quinn arrived at the fairgrounds to a chorus of boos.
Union members, mostly from the AFL-CIO and AFSCME, lobbed vocal displeasure toward the governor during a speech. The boos came in response to his decision to close prisons and mental health facilities as a cost saving measure, among other issues.
Capitol Fax Blog has a great series of videos of boos.
The AFSCME protestors wore green shirts that said: "Pensions are a Promise" and "Governor Quinn's Illinois, the new Wisconsin."
To be fair, they booed Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, and the mention of President Obama. (They cheered for Secretary of State Jesse White though.)
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That wasn't the end of Quinn's bad day.
He made a gaffe that drew some attention, too. Quinn, attempting to rally support for Obama's reelection campaign, said "Obama’s dead and the American auto industry is alive."
He quickly realized: “Osama bin Laden ... Guess I won’t use that one again,”
Finally, the governor sent a barb toward congressman Joe Walsh, calling him the worst representative ever.
Walsh responded: Quinn is the worst governor.
Can they both be right?
