36 Comments - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 11:50 am: Nothing like running like a Republican and not understanding Reagan’ postiion on an issue, even as you put Reagan in your Ad. Really Dopey. To the Ad, The Ad is “Buzz-Word City” and if the goal is to get the face time and the buzz words out while orbiting the dark side of the moon to catch some name ID, it souyld help in it. New Carhartt? BTW, the reason you run “outside” Ads in the season the Earth is in is to not look silly with leaves and “Fall” as a backdrop, while I am sipping Hot Cocoa after “shoveling my drive to my Barn, in my Carhartt”! Could have done this “Stand up” behind a color drop, but then you lose the “Carhartt” factor, don’t ya? It’s one thing to look Dopey IN the Carhartt to begin with, but wearing the Dopey Carharrt behind a color drop is even worse. Give it an “A -”, doing what it is suppose to do, but not an “A” because the props of the background and “Carhartt” and the “facts” being misled are just not “top shelf” quality. - Commonsense in Illinois - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 11:50 am: Be careful for what you wish for… - skeptical spectacle - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 11:53 am: Rauner running very impressive campaign……..if he can get term limits on the ballot, will be a big boost for his campaign, assuming he gets past primary. Regardless of one’s position of whether term limits will improve IL government, it is consistent with his “hammer the entrenched status quo” message and would certainly hammer a large number of entrenched pols out of Springfield if supported. Very impressive stuff, and might work because he is self financed and doesn’t need the typical money supplies. Look out Springfield, for better or worse. - A guy... - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:01 pm: He continues to be on message and on schedule. It’s hard to miss this spot if you watch television at all. He’s defining himself exactly the way he wants to with nary a peep from anyone else running. I think we’re well beyond the Carhartt at this stage. When you talk “term limits”, I don’t think the 80% who support them care about your outfit. - flea - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:02 pm: Blaming the predicament of this great state on “Springfield” may make a sound bite, but it is erroneous. - a drop in - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:02 pm: Everybody is saying “term limits, term limits” but the admenment does a lot more (changes # of legislatures, changes veto override requirements). Also doesn’t apply to governor. Why is nobody calling this out for what it is, a pure executive power grap? - 47th Ward - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:04 pm: I saw this during the Bears game. Dude knows how to spend his money, that’s for sure. It’s a very male ad, which suits him. At the end of the day, I think term limits might poll better than Rauner. We’ll see, but the referendum certainly has fewer negatives than Rauner. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:05 pm: If the Carhartt persona didn’t matter in trying to fool the Primary voters, they wouldn’t have “Bruce Rauner” in the Carhartt at all. Just Saying. - Soccermom - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:13 pm: “Pat Quinn is the worst of all.” Baron Carhartt needs to get out more. - Arthur Andersen - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:14 pm: “A”. Willy, since when do facts matter in political ads, lol? He threw down some serious shade on Quinn and Madigan (millions on the side) within 30 seconds. - Stones - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:20 pm: Ronald Reagan may very well be considered a liberal by today’s Tea Party. - Dan Johnson - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:22 pm: I mean, that’s not fair. Pat Quinn has been Mr. Term Limits. He’s put more of his heart and soul into the issue (however ill-advised) than anyone. I know you don’t have to be fair in a political campaign, but jeez. He does kind of acknowledge Pat’s work on the issue in a back-handed way by saying he failed to deliver term limits. But does he set himself up to fail to deliver term limits as well when the Supreme Court removes the amendment from the ballot for the same reasons they removed Pat’s “eight is enough” initiative from 1994? Probably, right? That’s likely another hit to the competency narrative (turns out you can’t buy everything in government….). Anyway, who would have thought Pat Quinn would be attacked on term limits! - wordslinger - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 12:27 pm: Washington, Reagan, Rauner. Who wrote the spot, Scott Reeder? Reagan was pretty honked off about the 22nd Amendment, would have liked to have run for a third term and probably would have eked out a victory by winning 49 states (50, at the most). Reagan certainly had no problem voting four times for his political role model, FDR. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 1:03 pm: - AA -, Agreed, but in reality, talking about the window “Bruce Rauner” is choosing to draw that shade, it really comes back to name ID, throught a very well polled issue, that Rauner has co-oped to run paralell with the Guv race, and that is it. No one is defining “Bruce Rauner” and this toll and these monies have loads to do more with pounding ID and marrying the issue, than to move the narrative becuase no one is paying attention except in 15 or 30 second visuals, all the while hoping that they don’t become white noise come later, even at a higher and heavier rotation. “Bruce Rauner” believes this is all Politcal Baloney anyway, so facts are really just annoying to the narrative that needs to be cemented. - Loop Lady - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 1:04 pm: I’m for immediate term limits right now and forever for wealthy businessmen wanna be pols that don’t have a clue about how to run government and still idolize Reagan as one would a saint… - ZC - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 1:10 pm: The appeal of term limits is they offer somehow the possibility of a) the public getting to limit corruption and intrigue in Springfield with b) the public not actually having to pay any more attention, or have to monitor what’s going on there. Just pass term limits, and then go back to tune-out mode. I’m skeptical. - Eugene - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 1:43 pm: I used to think that Republican incompetence would ensure another term for Quinn. Now I think Quinn may have doomed himself with his own incompetence. His poor leadership skills combined with savaging his own base could well elect a hard right plutocrat to be governor of a deep blue state. And I’ll make another prediction. Rauner is a bomb thrower but also a phony who knows well the ugly side of influence peddling. His governorship would not be pretty. See Rick Scott in Florida. - skeptical spectacle - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 1:57 pm: I have to say that it is dubious that term limits will improve Illinois government…..I’ve heard convincing arguments for and against. However, in this particular state with these particular problems, I think doing a “political enema” with term limits and getting rid of a huge smelly load of entrenched politicians can’t really be any worse than the situation we have now. I suspect most voters, right or wrong, will think this is worth a try. I suspect most, or disproportionately many, who read this blog will be against term limits. - Samurai - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 2:02 pm: ==Rauner running very impressive campaign== Odds are Bozo the Clown could run an impressive campaign with the endless supply of money available to Rauner. Rauner is like no other rich guy before. He stays on message, has his term limits organization and glossy ads to boot. Yes, Gidwitz and McKenna did fall below the Bozo standard; but billions of dollars without doubt helps mount an impressive campaign. All the other campaigns can do is keep on keeping on, try for media attention (mainly by attacking Rauner) and work at GOTV ground support (an OW lesson. Only time will tell whether the Tea Party and banker money prevails in the Primary. I think there are many Republicans, though maybe not enough, that will find the money play to buy the Governor’s office is just too repugnant. In any event, absent Pat Quinn really having something bad in his closet, Rauner just will not win the general no matter how much he and the private equity crowd throw into the election. - Downstater - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 2:05 pm: Smart move by Bruce Rauner. The other 3 Republican candidates and do little. They appear to be in awe. Facts or not, the message resonates with Republican Primary voters and most likely general election voters. - Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 2:11 pm: ===Odds are Bozo the Clown could run an impressive campaign with the endless supply of money available to Rauner=== It ain’t the money that differentiates Rauner from Gidwitz, McKenna, et al. It’s the fact that he truly seems to love campaigning and is quite smart about it. He’s not being fleeced, which is what usually happens to those guys. - Anonymous - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 2:32 pm: In Bruce’s case, there should be term limits - as in NO term to limit. Rich boy that needs a diversion from the boredom of wealth - these guys……it always seems to come tumbling down eventually when ego and pride are the prime movers. - Chi - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 2:38 pm: “not being fleeced, which is what usually happens to those guys” Well that remains to be seen, I’d say. His burn rate is off the charts. Plus, did Gidwitz/McKenna, et al. spend this much this early? - Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 2:43 pm: ===did Gidwitz/McKenna, et al. spend this much this early?=== Yep. Remember Andy’s “Hair” ads? They sucked. I don’t even remember Gidwitz’s ads they were so bad. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 2:53 pm: That is the biggest difference, that Rauner is “selling”, and using all the right ideas and touchstones that work, even if those touchstones are, literally and actually, completely against how Bruce Rauner has lived his life, made his money, supported his family’s wishes, all the while still pals with Rahm Emanuel…and running in the GOP Primary. Why? Because at a $100 Million clip, you can, and when you are going to spend whatever it takes to defend the facade of the fake “Bruce Rauner” versus the reality of who Bruce Rauner is, that might take a load of dough. Spending his monies to deflect and to use poll-trusted buzz words with no “check” on the hypocrisy is the bet “Bruce Rauner” is making on Bruce Rauner, and the other “team” isn’t even on the field to play defense, and for sure not on the field to go on the offensive. McKenna never had that, Gidwitz never had that, and neither were able to dry up monies and spend monies at the rate Rauner is doing both. There is a huge difference in “Bruce Rauner” then with Bruce Rauner running as himself, or in the way McKenna or Gidwitz ran their races. - Steve Reick - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 3:03 pm: Term limits aren’t the answer, and this is coming from a guy who’s running against an 8-term incumbent who promised in 1998 he’d only run for 3 terms. Between 2002 and 2012, 89 of the 118 House districts have changed members, but only 20 have changed parties. The districts are drawn to protect parties, not the people representing those districts. We’d get much more competitive races with non-partisan redistricting using established political boundaries with minor adjustments to equalize district populations. - wordslinger - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 3:05 pm: –I don’t even remember Gidwitz’s ads they were so bad.– Didn’t they have some kind of funky Latin beat. I thought that was noticeable the time. - Downstater - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 3:22 pm: Wait until Rauner unloads his multiple millions of dollars, after the primary, against Quinn. Looking forward to it. Will Quinn have the same deer in the headlights look of the other 3 gubernatorial candidates? - walkinfool - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 3:29 pm: This guy pitches more junk than Satchel Paige. George Washington wasn’t term-limited. He chose to retire. - Ghost - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 3:35 pm: I keep thinking we may be better off to elect Rauner…. a stale mated government unable to move laws should help keep the status quo…. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 3:36 pm: - Downstater - , When he Unions finally …FINALLY … listen to Remo and “Don’t take a chance”, Rauner is going to find the sledding a bit tougher. Unions are not to pleased (understatement of the year in IL) with Pat Quinn, but they loathe the idea of Bruce Rauner. No free pass. “Bruce Rauner” is getting no blowback. Those “Bruce Rauner” wantso to destroy, and made Bruce Rauner nearly a Billionaire are going to be heard. If you think this entire year, if “Bruce” and Bruce make it through March is going to be easy, then maybe you need to look at the hypocrisy through those who are not going to forget … twice. - Aldyth - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 4:00 pm: I hope Rauner is spending his campaign millions on Illinois businesses. At the very least, he can benefit the state economy. - A guy... - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 4:14 pm: Is the irony landing only on me that Gidwitz was NOT the one to do the Hair Ads? - MrJM - Monday, Dec 16, 13 @ 5:02 pm: Illinois deserves a better class of phony. – MrJM - Just The Way It Is One - Tuesday, Dec 17, 13 @ 5:38 pm: Been out for a couple days, but must add, even if nobody cares, “No more Billions on the side,” he pontificates, but about what? If he’s making some sort of substantive, justifiable accusation against someone, then spell it out! Otherwise, it’s just more of the same blather…! AND, just the whole Term Limits push on Rauner’s part altoGETHer cracks me up, when YEARS ago, back in his Activist, Pre-State Elective post days–and LONG before some adivisor told BR it’d be a slick issue to hang one of his hats on, One Citizen PAT QUINN was out there organizing and passing Petitions and garnering thousands of signatures to get it on the Ballot! The most sickening thing about the ad/issue is howRAUner acts like it’s some brilliant NEW idea that only some Guru like himSELF could’ve suddenly now cooked-up because some 79% of the People think it’s a good idea! Pat Quinn was pushing for this SO long ago that the idea has gray hair growing on it now, but Brucie, of course, didn’t have time to bother NOticing the future Governor’s noble cause’cuz he was too busy out there raking in his MEGA-millions!!! - Just The Way It Is One - Tuesday, Dec 17, 13 @ 5:42 pm: That was meant to read “some advisor” above…! Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.