Chicago Tribune Confirms Dee Beaubien Used Word “Fair” to Describe Income Tax Hike
Dee Beaubien
David McSweeney
McHenry County Blog commenters are repeatedly posting that David McSweeney is not telling the truth in his mailings when he says the following:
“Calling a 67% tax increase ‘fair.’
“Beaubien has said that the 67% income tax hike has led to a ‘fair’ rate for out working families.”
Here is an enlargement of the use of the word “fair” by David McSweeney to characterize the opinion of opponent Dee Beaubien’s about the 67% income tax increase.
After urging from one, I wrote Tribune Editorial Page Editor Bruce Dold and asked about it:
“Dee is being cited in a footnote by McSweeney that Dee used the word ‘fair’ to describe the income tax hike.
“I can’t find the interview online or a transcript.
“Anyway I can get access to one or the other?
“Look at the bottom left of the attached mailing for the quote and footnote number.”
I sent the following mailing, which I call the “scratch out” postcard:
Fact checking with the Chicago Tribune revealed that Dee Beaubien did use the word “fair” to describe the huge income tax increase. (See bottom left of text. Click to enlarge.)
Here is the enlargement of the footnotes I sent the Tribune:
The footnote to the “fair” quote of Dee Beaubien is seen to be to the Chicago Editorial Board interview of Dave McSweeney and Dee Beaubien. It has been confirmed by the Editorial Page Editor Bruce Dold.
Here’s the answer I received from Dold:
“Cal,
“We don’t have a transcript or audio/video, but Kristen McQueary recalls that Dee did say that.”
Active commenter Dave, who does not want his last name used, also reached out to Dold and got the following response, which is found in a comment below, but which deserves to be seen in conjunction with the response I got from Dold:
“Dee Beaubien and Dave McSweeney appeared together for an endorsement interview with members of the editorial board.
“Both candidates said they would roll back the income tax increase. They were asked how they would replace the revenue and whether they thought the individual income tax rate was in line with other states.
“Beaubien said: “That’s right. I think it’s fair. So there we are.” But she did make it clear she wanted to roll back the tax increase.
“I did not attend this interview. This is based on the notes of two board members who did. We did not record the interview, but the candidates were free to record it. I don’t know if either candidate did.”
**We don’t have a transcript or audio/video**
WTF? They didn’t record it? I call BS.
Sorry, but I find it absurd that the Trib is saying that they don’t have any recording of the interview.
I know that the Trib is incompetent, but I didn’t realize that they were THIS incompetent.
1Odd that a news organization would do an interview where the subject makes a statement directly contradictory to what she says in the rest of the story and then not use that statement in the resulting story.
But Cal I salute you for investigating further. Glad you went the extra mile.
2I got to say… Trib’s “confirmation” makes me even more cynical that Dee said the tax increase was “fair.”
No transcript or recording? No notes? Just a “Kristen McQueary recalls?”
Really, really odd.
I want the full quote and context.
3Ask madigan, he will know what he told her to say.
4Those with doubts……regarding word “FAIR”
Take up legal action with the Chicago Tribune…..
If you don’t like what Cal has on his site….
DON’T READ IT….
5I guess the other way to look at this is that David McSweeney’s team can not PROVE that she did say it.
And no court in the world will take this reporter recalls as sufficient.
6Has anyone asked Dee if she said it?
Has she denied saying it?
7Dave,
So the confirmation comes from the Trib Editor himself that Dee said the tax increase is “Fair” and you double-down and attack the integrity of Kristen McQueary the reporter?
Are you truly insane or just real stupid?
Or maybe you work for Madigan?
You clearly do not know McQueary or you would never have gone down that rediculous path.
Oh, and i told you so!
8So I too reached out to Dold, and I got more info:
So Dee clearly said she’d repeal the income tax increase. And she said the rates were “fair” in relation to other states, which is undeniably true.
So yea- McSweeney is lying. Or at least blatantly distorting what Dee is saying.
9Dave
Your above statement is a lie
Where’s the PROOF?
No transcript..no recording…
I KNOW YOU NEVER CONTACTED DOLD’S OFFICE
10Awwwwwwwwww………..all depends on whose Al is getting Gored.
Trib said and stands by it, but that is not good enough for the apologists.
11Paul- I just quote the Trib.
But go ahead and believe what you want.
12Saying it doesn’t make it so, Dave.
Not when you have an agenda.
13“Both candidates said they would roll back the income tax increase. They were asked how they would replace the revenue and whether they thought the individual income tax rate was in line with other states.
Beaubien said: “That’s right. I think it’s fair. So there we are.” But she did make it clear she wanted to roll back the tax increase.”
What part of Dave’s response from the Tribune don’t the haters understand?
Clearly, Beaubien meant that the tax increase was on par with other state’s taxes. Makes you wonder how McSweeney got the quote in the first place if it was never published…
14@Paul- what are you talking about? Saying what doesn’t make it so?
The Trib said, not me.
I noticed that you embraced what the Trib told Cal, but then you reject what they told me?
Fascinating.
And I love how I have an agenda, but you, or Cal, or McSweeney do not.
Silliness.
The Trib was explicitly clear with me what Dee said and in what context it was said in. And Cal should update the post to reflect the additional information.
15So we have a candidate that is stretching the truth and one beholden to the Madigan…Sorry guys, you can fire comments back and forth all you want but the Madigan posse needs to go. Has anyone noticed to of the most “blue” states in the union are the most broke?
16“two”
17Has anyone asked Dee if she said it?
Has she denied saying it?
Why not get the word from the horse’s mouth?
18**Has anyone asked Dee if she said it?**
Yes – she denied saying that the tax increase was fair.
And what I got from the Trib confirms that she did not say that the tax increase was fair.
19Beaubien lies like Obama.
20Cal – you’re not going to correct your post and add more info?
21