Gubernatorial candidate Scott Lee Cohen suggested on live radio today that the best way to balance the Illinois budget would be to "shoot all the elected politicians."
Asked on WIND AM's Big John Howell and Amy Jacobson Show what he'd do about the deficit if he were governor, Cohen chuckled and said: "Shoot all the elected politicians?"
Howell replied "That's a good headline. You know what? You're going to pick up some votes."
"No I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he said. Cohen then went on to tell a variation of an old lawyer joke. "What do you call 500 politicians at the bottom of a lake? A good start."
Cohen, who gave up his nomination for lieutenant governor after House Speaker Michael Madigan (among others) pressured him to quit, announced his intention Monday to run for governor.
Asked on WIND AM why he was running again, Cohen referred to his own tribulations.
"I took more than a public beating, the Democratic party crucified me," Cohen said. "I'm back because people are suffering every day and I can't in good conscience sit on the sidelines and watch this happen."
Politics
For his part, Gov. Quinn isn't concerned.
Asked yesterday whether he'd spoken to Cohen, Quinn said he'd bumped into Cohen at the ballpark on opening day and that the candidate-to-be said he "had a surprise for me."
Cohen needs to garner 25,000 signatures by June 21 in order to be included on the state ballot.
That may be difficult, considering the rumors that Cohen's organization may have paid supporters to attend his announcement Monday.
