44 Comments - wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 12:27 pm: Rich guys have run before, but this is something new. Rauner not only can he swamp his primary opponents with personal cash, but now he’s locked them out of access to the usual GOP big-money contributors. Plus, he promises to set up yet another PAC in the future to reward legislators who vote his way. Rich used the word “takeover” yesterday. You better believe it. If he wins, the state GOP will danced to his and his rich, bipartisan buddies tune. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 12:28 pm: ===but this is something new.=== Yeah. And just after I posted that story, I found out something else “new.” Brand new. Never been tried before new. Stay tuned. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 12:35 pm: And it’s up. Check out our new advertiser. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 12:36 pm: Dillard, Brady, and Rutherford - You are raising “Tip Money” Rauner gives to those who straighten the closets out at his 9 houses. Ground game. Better find all these “Pluses” out there that can drag their friends and neighbors out, becuase the last piece of a puzzle left for Rauner is understanding how to gather “Pluses” and getting those “Pluses” to the polls and voting them. Weeks and weeks … and weeks went by, with Bruce Rauner not having to answer anything from you three, and now “where are you”? Every vote is going to count that can be “got” on the streets, and it is quite apparent no “air cover” is available to you three to cover the barrage of Ads with the monies Rauner is just going to unload, so focus on infastructure, “education” and election day aparatus. It ain’t “June” no more, those days were squandered. As to the “Running Mates”, yikes! “Dave” Kim knows it would be helpful to raise more than 1K, right? What else does “Dave” Kim bring to the table, “Name Un-Recognition”? If Jil Tracy is sitting on some cash, guess what, if you don’t get through the Primary, you and Dillard are both “Out”. “Eight Precinct”, you raised $10.5K. That works out to just over $1,300 a Precinct. That doesn’t even cover the cost of yard signs at polling places statewide(?) Win it in the Precincts, but geez, show those watching … “something” - MrJM - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 12:45 pm: “Check out our new advertiser.” A sledge hammer projecting out of his groin? Subtle. – MrJM - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 12:53 pm: ===Never been tried before new=== Well, he’s been everywhere else, he might as well advertise here. Smart move on his part given the wide and loyal following you’ve developed. And I, for one, welcome our new Raunerbot Overlords. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 12:55 pm: AWilliyWord Con$ulting is still available …for what I dunno, but I guess we could do something. Bruce Rauner is going to buy “Park Place”, “Boardwalk”, all the Railroads, and then “buyout” the Free Parking monies by buying … “Free Parking.” ———————————————- “Now wait…now listen…now listen to me. If Rauner gets hold of this State Government, there’ll never be another decent General Assembly vote in Springfield. He’s already got charge of a PAC. He’s got The Wealthy Donors. He got Website Searches. And now he’s after the ILGOP and then General Assembly, and finally the Mansion too. Why? Well, it’s very simple. Because the ILGOP is cutting in on his business, that’s why. And because he wants to get you living in a state he sees is OK, and paying off the kind of budgets he decides. ‘Joe’, you saw one of those Rauner Ads, didn’t you? Well, have you forgotten? Have you forgotten who he donates to get that broken-down Pension Business? Here, ‘Ed’. You know, you remember last year when things weren’t going so well, and Illinois was talking about penisons and payments? You didn’t ‘care’, did you? Do you think Rauner cares how you think Illinois is going with his friends? Can’t you understand what’s happening here? Don’t you see what’s happening? Rauner isn’t “selling”. Rauner’s buying! And why? Because we’re panicking and he’s not. That’s why. He’s picking up some bargains. Now, we can get through this thing all right. We’ve got to stick together, though. We’ve got to have faith in each other.” Yikes … - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:01 pm: In southeast Wisconsin the Dems relied on the UAW to be the Democratic Party in that part of the state. Then the car companies shrank their operations there or withdrew from the state. The Dems were left with little infrastructure beyond some old union halls and some retirees. If Rauner wins with this tactic, the GOP will quickly become dependent on the preferences of a few rich guys. And this was the downside of Citizens United for the GOP. Yeah, the GOP can raise unlimited money from a few rich cranks. But once a political party becomes dependent on a few rich cranks it becomes harder to appeal to regular voters. Economic policy is going to become increasingly optimized around the 1% b/c of Citizens United. But the GOP is going to become increasingly isolated from normal people as it increasingly sucks-up to the resident billionaires (Koch bros & Adelson at national level or Griffin & Rauner in Illinois). You social conservatives didn’t honestly believe the billionaires were on your side, did you? Chumps. - Budget Watcher - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:02 pm: OW, Who’s our George Bailey? - Endangered Moderate Species - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:04 pm: The subliminal message in that ad indicates what’s going to happen to his primary opponents if they don’t counter attack and begin defining him. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:05 pm: - Budget Watcher -, The Person who actually doesn’t seem themselves as the “Savior”, usually is that Savior. If I had to read off my “short list”, I can’t read any names not currently there… - Pay per click? - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:07 pm: Rich if you get paid per click am I to assume we can make you a lot of money and slowly deplete Rauner’s bank roll? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:13 pm: ===if you get paid per click=== I don’t sell ads that way. But feel free to click anyway. lol - wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:17 pm: Rich, mazeltov. Actually, I’m kind of surprised that it took him so long. With that kind of cash, Cap. Fax should have been in the media buy a while ago. His opponents don’t have any ammunition and he has heavy artillery. He should pound away on all fronts. They might never get a chance to try to define him before March. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:20 pm: ===They might never get a chance to try to define him before March.=== The “three” won’t on their own. Nope. That ship has left, or worse, that ship is still in Dry Dock. Unions? “Why take a chance?” Rauner is taking no chances. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:39 pm: Willie, as was discussed last week, the unions need to make a decision, and in a hurry, as to whether to unload with a negative campaign sometime after the holidays. I think it’s clear that Rauner and his bankrollers have the most antipathy to their interests among the four GOP candidates. Rauner, of course, would answer with a “union bosses are against me” message, but so what? He’s demonizing unions already, and will continue to do so. If I were the unions, I’d take two bites at the apple. Once in the primaries, and, if need be, again in the general. - Norseman - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:43 pm: Jil Tracy’s quote on Wednesday after the primary: “I lost my cushy political office and spent $44,400 and all I got to show for it is this stupid “D Lard for Governor t-shirt.” - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 1:47 pm: - wordslinger -, Yes, my Post was a terrible attempt to agree with you, and on all fronts, including that discussion. How the Unions can sit this out and take one big swipe if Rauner gets out of the Primary, versus going after “it” once in the Primary, and if need be building off the Primary to finish the job, is beyond me. Every dollar spent before March will make monies possbily spent after April more impactful. Apologies for the poor attempt at agreement on all fronts. - Ghost - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 2:09 pm: David(s) and Goliath - Skeeter - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 2:14 pm: Regarding Brady’s numbers — Does anybody have any insight as to what is going on? Is he deliberately ignoring fund raising (maybe he thinks he has enough far right votes to get the nod?), or is he just having a tough time with it? It is tough to take a campaign seriously when he’s not doing the things that successful campaigns tend to do. Does he even intend to stay on the ballot? - Empty Suit - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 2:55 pm: I’m surprised that Rauner didn’t offer to buy the Savings and Loan..uh I mean Cap Fax. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 2:56 pm: It’s not for sale. Unless somebody wants to come up with a mind boggling offer that allows me to retire in fancy comfort. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 3:02 pm: Empty, “Building and Loan.” And I suspect there’s a lot more “George Bailey” in Rich Miller than he cares to let on. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 3:15 pm: I had Rich pegged more as a “Sam Wainwright”; More than willing to help, to give the “leg up”, can see the good of a good idea (remember being talked into having his plant in Bedford Falls?), fun and fun loving, and loyal. “Sam Wainwtight” could have been “George Bailey” has he not “gotten out of that measly one-horse town”, that they both love, period. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 3:21 pm: Now, if you go “George Bailey”, final scene, the case can be made very easily that Rich is the best mix of George or Sam in that scene too… Just saying….. - Downstater - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 3:23 pm: What is the old saying, “I went to a knife fight and the other guy brought a gun.” In this case, Brady, Dillard, and Rutherford have pen knives and Rauner has nuclear weapons. - A guy... - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 3:54 pm: OW and WS, You two pixies out the door and through the rear…Just kidding. lol - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 4:25 pm: Kim=pathetic. What did he do, hold a bake sale? The AA Household has cleaned out leftover junk and sold it “at garage” and cleared more than a grand a couple times. Jeez. - G'Kar - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 4:25 pm: OW’s 12:55 post is one of the best of the year! - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 4:33 pm: Thanks, - G’Kar -, appreciate that. - AA -, I think Bruce Rauner finds $1K every time he checks inbetween the cushions of the dozen or so sofas in the 9 houses! How is “Dave Kim” helping again? #AAGarageSaleHelpCostOneK - dupage dan - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 4:42 pm: This is stunning. I know one can’t guarantee winning an election with money only but the numbers for the primary opponents is shocking. Rauner has truly sucked the air out of the room. What’s left of these guys? Maybe they can pool their funds and rent an old school bus and go on a road trip. They could sell the side of the bus for ads…..to Rauner. - A guy... - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 4:46 pm: Must be Krugerrands falling out of his Levi pockets, eh? - dupage dan - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 4:47 pm: If Minnesota can survive “The Body”, Illinois can survive “The Wallet”. - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 5:04 pm: Slightly o/t but I note that the Rauner ad that was blue yesterday is red today. Don’t know how it looks on a regular browser, but on my iPhone it looks ah, politically incorrect. - Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, Dec 10, 13 @ 10:35 pm: Has anyone ever just asked Rauner if he thinks he has enough money to buy the election? - econ prof - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 9:23 am: The Rauner bashing amuses me. We’re near the bottom of every economic category nationwide, yet somehow Rauner is going to destroy this state? This state was destroyed a long time ago. How could he possibly do any worse than what we’ve seen from Blagojevich and Quinn? - Snucka - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 9:33 am: Rauner has reported raising $305,000 in the last week. That’s compared to $237,000 for all other candidates combined since Nov. 1. I’m sure the governor will file a nice big report before the end of the year. Not too sure about the other GOP candidates. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 9:34 am: Econ, It is because he would come into office without a basic understanding of Illinois government. He thinks we can decide stuff by referendum. If he was a HS student taking a class on Illinois government, he would flunk. it is one thing to have ideas that are not practical. Reasonable minds can differ on that one. It is another to apparently have no idea as to the basics of the structure of Illinois government. - Snucka - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 9:35 am: Econ Prof, I think we’d all agree that he can’t do worse than someone who is serving a 14-year prison sentence for public corruption. That’s not really the point. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 9:49 am: –We’re near the bottom of every economic category nationwide,– Really? Tell me, professor, where does Illinois rank nationwide among the state in regards to: – GDP – median household income – per capita income – exports – agricultural production – manufacturing production – IT jobs – financial sector jobs …and on and on and on. Take a trip to the library, professor, then report back. And when you do, give us a detailed report as to the significance of state government — any state’s government — in a global economy. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 9:56 am: === This state was destroyed a long time ago. === “Destroyed”? Natural disasters destroy. Ask New Orleans or New Jersey about … “Destroyed” Maybe discuss the “econ” impact on natural disasters effecting states, then throw out Quinn or Blagohevich, and talk about “destroyed” in that prism. Dope. - dupage dan - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 9:59 am: The challenge with understanding how Ill gov’t works is there is a line which when crossed means you not only know how it works, as a seasoned politician, you may have become so entrenched in the culture with connections/obligations that bind you to standpoints you would otherwise eschew that your effectiveness is lessened. Going even further is the criminal culture that has tainted both political parties in this state. Can a seasoned politician avoid those pitfalls and still be able to mount an effective campaign to win major executive offices? We saw how JBT was painted as a GR puppet by Rod Blagojevich and that was lapped up by the electorate. And he goes on to win re-election while so many (including his campaign manager) HAD to know he was going down. Sometimes folks just glom on to the perceived white knight populist to reboot the whole thing. How well that will work out remains to be seen. After his one term, maybe Rauner could get a conspiracy show like “The Body” got. - Norseman - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 10:01 am: Well said Word!!! - Endangered Moderate Species - Wednesday, Dec 11, 13 @ 10:26 am: IMO- Rauner does know how the State works and he also believes he has a good understanding of what it takes to get elected as a Republican in this State. Smoke and mirrors are common in magic shows and political arenas. Winning a statewide election and being an effective Governor require two separate skill sets. Blagojevich is an example of a politician having only one of those skills. Rauner has to first win the primary; so far he has proven he is capable of meeting that challenge. Can he win a general election and govern the State? Time will tell. His style does not agree with my taste, but I am beginning to understand he has a plan he believes will work and so far he is working that plan. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.