47 Comments - OneMan - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:20 pm: Not good… But then again they advertise for those type of lawsuits on TV… - Empty Chair - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:21 pm: Strong research operation over there. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:21 pm: Well, anything below 175 lawsuits, you’re not even trying… To the Post, This would be a “fun” and powerful Ad, but as a press release right after all that has been going on with Quinn, give me some meat to the numbers… - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:29 pm: Quinn may wish to be careful with how he frames that. How many of those lawsuits have resulted in a guilty verdict? It’s like saying “Governor Quinn has logged # of ethics complaints against him.” How many of those complaints have been founded and how many are unfounded? That’s an important element. - Reality Check - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:32 pm: This is not a “claim” by Quinn, it is stated in the court opinion you link: “In all, THI and THMI were facing over 150 lawsuits by early 2006″ (page . - wordslinger - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:37 pm: The Florida issue is the one with legs. “150 lawsuits” is just a kicker in that script. - Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:38 pm: Quinn’s commercial is pretty simple. Crass, but no more crass than whatever Rauner has done. Find someone directly impacted by these nursing home scandals. Roll the camera while they decry Rauner. Even the dumb: “Golly gee, my hubby would make a great governor” commercials are no match for the cinema verite of someone directly impacted by Rauner’s scorched-earth profit-at-all-costs policy. I do think this nursing home stuff is pretty disgusting — and as someone who’s had family in a home, it’s despicable the way these for-profit types literally scorch the earth then go out and play golf the next day and talk about how “business smart” they are. - Chris - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:39 pm: “This is not a “claim” by Quinn, it is stated in the court opinion you link: “In all, THI and THMI were facing over 150 lawsuits by early 2006″” Where in the opinion does it say that “THI and THMI” = “Rauner and GTCR”. Yes, that is pedantic, but that nit makes it a claim, not a ‘fact’. - wordslinger - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:50 pm: –Find someone directly impacted by these nursing home scandals. Roll the camera while they decry Rauner.– They’ve been found. They got some exposure during the primary. - Reality Check - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:50 pm: @Chris - read the opinion, or any other background on this disaster. GTCR created THI, was its primary shareholder and controlled its board. - GOPGal - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:51 pm: === Where in the opinion does it say that “THI and THMI” = “Rauner and GTCR” === Chris, start reading at page 3. The Judge provides a thorough explanation of GTCR’s relationship to THI and THMI. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:53 pm: I believe we have a race between two candidates who face strong possible convictions! We used to have only one candidate like that, but in 2014 - both do! - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:54 pm: == THI and THMI were facing over 150 lawsuits == == Rauner and GTCR have been hit with at least 150 lawsuits in 15 different states, and they continue to roll in today. == If we are going to begin ascribing the actions of every subsidiary and employee to their senior partners, the Governor better be ready to accept full and personal responsibility for every action taken by every state agency and employee. Those are a lot of questionable grants and contracts you have approved through people like former DCFS Director Erwin McEwen, Governor. Can we get a re-do on the last 15 years of Illinois government or so? Including March’s primary in both parties? Sure would be nice. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:55 pm: It must be true! Rumor has it that Michael J. Madigan is considering co-chairing the Rauner campaign now! - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:56 pm: == two candidates who face strong possible convictions == I always preferred candidates with strong convictions. Not Blago-style. Lincoln-style. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:57 pm: When this gets out to voters, I believe we will need to blow up the bridges across the Mississippi, Ohio and Wabash to keep Illinoisans from fleeing to less corrupted states like New Jersey and Louisiana. - Snucka - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 1:57 pm: “Aside from raising capital for THI, the GTCR Group was also instrumental in THI’s day-to-day management and administration. From the start, the GTCR Group entered into a Professional Services Agreement with THI in July 1998, around the time THI was created. Under its agreement with THI, the GTCR Group was responsible for formulating THI’s corporate strategy and corporate investments, including acquisitions, divestitures, and debt and equity financing.” - too obvious - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:03 pm: Republicans should be furious with Rauner over the way he intentionally withheld the truth in the primary. This guy is going to be run out of the state on a rail by the GOP base when he not only loses but takes the entire GOP ticket down with him. This is Bain Capital times a thousand. - wordslinger - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:03 pm: –If we are going to begin ascribing the actions of every subsidiary and employee to their senior partners, the Governor better be ready to accept full and personal responsibility for every action taken by every state agency and employee.– Meh, that’s already been going on forever, everywhere. If you’re a governor, you’re going to take the hits for any monkey-business in your administration. If your campaign is built on “running the state like a business,” you’re going to take a hit for your business practices. Nothing wrong with that. You want the big chair, you get the heat. - Walter Mitty - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:05 pm: Well… PQ and the team had to go there right away via press release … Please tell me what value it add’s by that statement that was not out in the primary? Nobody goes to jail from this order in Bankruptcy court… It is the first procedure. The statement because the couldn’t wait to be more strategic … Read the statement. Think of what Quinn has going? How does this move the needle for PQ..? Is it as vanilla and generic because they are inept? Or do they know this is not as explosive as what they are sitting on? I would have expected something of more value. - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:05 pm: Bigger question is: if this story really has any teeth, why did Dillard or Brady not capitalize on it? This opinion’s been out there since March 14 - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:08 pm: Inquiring minds may want to find out how much was paid out under said “Professional Services Agreement” to GTCR over and above its fees as General Partner. This “operating fee” issue is precisely what the SEC is snooping around in as referenced in another post. - too obvious - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:12 pm: == Bigger question is: if this story really has any teeth, why did Dillard or Brady not capitalize on it? == Umm….because they ran terrible campaigns? - Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:13 pm: - why did Dillard or Brady not capitalize on it? - Money. - Walter Mitty - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:13 pm: AA… The issue is when that fee is paid when the results are poor… If there was an issue here, wouldn’t you think it would have come out? They should snoop in the states that were snookered… That claim here with the returns do not pass scrutiny.. By the way, it wouldn’t be the firm in trouble for accepting the agreement…It would be the State if they signed such crazy deals… - Adam Smith - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:22 pm: Just so we all agree… Rauner can be attacked for every misdeed by every employee at every company his firm had a majority ownership in… AND Quinn wears the jacket for every misdeed by every employee in state government. Rauner would take that deal. The number of kids and old folks killed, hurt or mistreated as a result of state agency errors is huge. And let’s not forget the fun at DNR. Oh, and let’s not forget his old ticket-mate, etc. etc. Quinn is sounding desperate in May. - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:23 pm: ==- why did Dillard or Brady not capitalize on it? - Money.== You can add all of the unions, etc, who had research and money in the game. Everyone was looking for dirt, they were clearly following this issue down there given their ads, this opinion was out there….so either they all missed something , or they know this in the end has no teeth, and some are just throwing this out there now to try and distract from Quinn’s issues - Norseman - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:42 pm: === Rauner can be attacked for every misdeed by every employee at every company his firm had a majority ownership in… AND Quinn wears the jacket for every misdeed by every employee in state government. === In case you haven’t paid attention, he’s already being blamed for all the ills of state government. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:43 pm: I’m in favor of starting impeachment proceedings on whoever is elected this November so we won’t have to worry about them running again in 2018. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:46 pm: Who is there running mates, I mean, who is our future governor after either guy is impeached or forced to resign? This might be the year I support the LaRouche candidate. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:52 pm: Good points by @wordslinger at 2:03. And well said, as usual. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 2:54 pm: Adam Smith - don’t forget the disabled individuals whose deaths weren’t investigated, the calls to DCFS that weren’t being answered and so on… it’s all going to come back now in spades. I suppose it always was. This may just speed up that timetable a bit. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 3:01 pm: ===Bigger question is: if this story really has any teeth, why did Dillard or Brady not capitalize on it? This opinion’s been out there since March 14=== Money. Plus, Geez, Louise, March 14 till Primary Day to respond, with maximum impact and at the appropriate levels? No. Chance. March 1st would have been borderline impossible to saturate and impact a message worth the Money needed. Illinois is a big state. Lots of people. - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 3:09 pm: ==Plus, Geez, Louise, March 14 till Primary Day to respond, with maximum impact and at the appropriate levels? No. Chance.== Hogwash. This isn’t 50 years ago where it took days, sometimes weeks to spread news. The unions and Dem PACs had been playing this nursing home issue for weeks with ads. This opinion comes out the weekend before the election, when news coverage of the election is at it’s peak, and if they would’ve forwarded this on to the right people (this new thing called email can make that pretty easy to do) it wouldn’t have been covered if it really reads legit? They passed on it because they know or think it doesn’t. - Walker - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 3:13 pm: Everything I’ve read so far puts Rauner’s GTCR in much worse light than Romney’s Bain Capital. Even the fact that Rauner admits he is not the financial analyst or business strategist that Romney was. The difference that counts: without the “47%” tape and his chucklehead attitude, and without the reality that Romney hid big money overseas to avoid paying US taxes, Romney would have skated on Bain Capital. Without hard, clear evidence that speaks directly to Bruce’s personal attitude and ethics, he’ll likely skate on GTCR issues as well. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 3:18 pm: 50 years ago? “Sentimental Hogwash”! lol ===This opinion comes out the weekend before the election, when news coverage of the election is at it’s peak=== And the press would cover it exactly as it needs to be saturated? lol === and if they would’ve forwarded this on to the right people (this new thing called email can make that pretty easy to do) it wouldn’t have been covered if it really reads legit? === You have that super-special list of the “Right” people? That would be worth millions! It takes weeks to saturate. Weeks. When you are 10 days out, you can’t start a new narrative in time. I can’t speak to anyone knowing how they feel about legitimacy, but golly you seem to know all the right people, and how they ALL think. How do you stay - Anonymous -? Too funny! - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 3:42 pm: =How do you stay - Anonymous -?= Obviously a “cunning plan” that continues to perplex, stump, mystify…and occasionally make some look silly. lol - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 3:46 pm: That sounds like Hogwash to me, but if it works… Rauner ran out the clock, dried up the monies, “and that’s that.” “There was nuttin they could do about it.” - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 4:42 pm: Walter, not the same fees. I’m tired of explaining so I’ll take your advice and take the rest of the day off. - Wensicia - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 5:23 pm: This feels like the race of dueling legal issues, not candidates. (Insert video of “Dueling Banjos” here.) Which judge will pick the winner (or loser)? - DuPage Dave - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 5:43 pm: I think the message of profiteering while elderly nursing home residents suffered is a strong one, and if it can be pinned on Rauner it will be an effective way to brand him as a sharp-dealing, cold-hearted Montgomery Burns. - Macbeth - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 6:34 pm: – … if it can be pinned on Rauner it will be an effective way to brand him as a sharp-dealing, cold-hearted Montgomery Burns. — And not at all a way to run a state. Runs the state like that, he’ll be in prison along with Blagojevich. If he wins, that will happen. You heard it here first. Which is why he won’t win. - Just The Way It Is One - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 7:02 pm: 150…and counting. 15…and counting. Whatdya have to say about THAT, VM?! I suppose you’d try somehow to blame such horrendous abuse, neglect, and innocent deaths on Pat Quinn, right? Did THOSE things happen in a State-run Institution PERSONALLY OWNED by the Governor? Pfff. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 9:16 pm: @Oswego Willy - According to earlier reporting by CapFax I believe, Team Quinn asked the Democratic Governors Association to intervene with the unions to dial back the attacks on Rauner because they were much more worried about facing Dillard. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 9:32 pm: - Yellow Dog Democrat -, You may be right, or not, I actually can’t remember that very specifically. If I can’t remember it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, lol - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 9:57 pm: - YDD -, I remember this…my bad! https://capitolfax.com/2014/03/11/labor-unions-halt-tv-ad-blitz-against-rauner/ To this Post, and my point, was the date of March 14 would have been too late. Period. - Walter Mitty - Thursday, May 8, 14 @ 8:24 am: AA…. No matter what. I appreciate the insight and I know more now because of it… Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.