Yesterday afternoon, as part of the Campaign for a Better Health Care's annual conference, Gov. Pat Quinn and Democratic primary challenger Dan Hynes engaged in an hour-long debate on health care reform. Because it costs the state money to provide coverage to the poor and to protect public health, the debate routinely veered into discussion about the state deficit and the gubernatorial candidates' competing tax reform proposals. When it did, things got snippy. Watch this compilation:

Notice how neither candidate even broaches the most important aspect of this debate: how they plan to convince the legislature to go along with their respective proposals next year. In a sense, this debate is taking place solely in the abstract.

Also of note in the video above: Towards the end, you'll hear Quinn name-drop an October study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) which determined that the amount of revenue the Hynes campaign projects their tax package will generate ($5.5 billion annually) is dramatically overstated. We highlighted this finding when the study was released, noting that the discrepancy stems from the amount of taxable income reported by the highest earners in the state, who would be subject to the highest income tax rate if Hynes' progressive income tax amendment was adopted.  The Hynes campaign's numbers appear to assume that all of that wealth will be taxed, ignoring the ways in which rich Illinoisans shelter their income.  That said, the campaign has not disclosed their methodologyand we've had trouble getting the underlying data from the Illinois Department of Revenue, so it's still unclear how Hynes (or ITEP, for that matter) reached their conclusion. But it's a big, nagging question that the local media has categorically ignored.

Of course, tax reform was only one component of the debate. Unlike their GOP counterparts, three of whom turned down CBHC's invitation to appear yesterday, Quinn and Hynes both called health care reform a fundamental human right and promised not to opt out of any ofthe provisions in the federal health care bill should it be approved. Instead, they both agreed in principle to implement the federal regulations and coverage mechanisms thoroughly and then extend state-based coverage (depending on cost) to anyone still unable to receive affordable care.

Because he knows the consequences of bad budgeting, the comptroller emphasized "his obsession withfinancial responsibility." As governor, he said he would push to makethe higher reimbursement rate for Medicaid, which was established under the stimulus, permanent and continue to push for stem cell research at the state level (as he did in Illinois when President Bush eliminated federal funding). Quinn repeatedly reminded the audience of his 2001 walk across the state with Dr. Quentin Young, an ardent public health advocate. Quinn also suggested that voters look at his record fighting for the All Kids and Veterans Care programs as well as his veto this summer of a budget that would have eviscerated social service programs throughout the state.

Full Disclosure: The SEIU Illinois State Council, which sponsors this website, has endorsed Pat Quinn in the Democratic primary for governor.