42 Comments - Demoralized - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 9:50 am: Nobody should take Fritz Pfister seriously. The guy is a first class kook. It’s unfortunate Rauner didn’t do a bit more research about the guy because once again we see a politician putting themself in a position they didn’t have to be in - explaining why they appeared with somebody who makes outrageous statements. These are easy things to avoid yet we see time and time again politicians getting themselves in controversies that didn’t have to be. - BIG R. Ph. - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 9:50 am: But Gov. Quinn, How much did Bruce Rauner contribute to YOUR salary? And how much did the minimum wage worker contribute to your salary? The answer is the high salary worker pays your salary and the minimum wage worker takes away from your salary. Between Earned Income Tax Credit and Medicaid, Food Stamps etc. Governor Quinn and Democrats listen up!! You want more high wage workers in your state. - Liberty - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 9:51 am: It might retain a few votes for a guy who is in trouble. - Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 9:52 am: Great substance… horrible ad. What is wrong with Quinn’s people?! I thought he was supposed to have an A-team… seasoned veterans that have run winning campaigns. This has been nothing but a joke. Stop using pics of your opponent that make him look good. Instead of using horribly out of place background music, you use none?! The ad is boring and nobody is going to pay attention. Dear Quinn campaign, do yourselves a favor, look at old Blago ads. He sure was a shady, horrible governor… but he could run a campaign!!! - Demoralized - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 9:54 am: ==The answer is the high salary worker pays your salary and the minimum wage worker takes away from your salary.== ==You want more high wage workers in your state.== So then you should be arguing to increase the minimum wage, right? - x ace - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 9:56 am: C + Slogan works : ” Voters Beware ….Billionaire” - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 9:56 am: ===Mike Schrimpf, spokesman for Rauner, said Friday that “Bruce was not aware of these past statements and certainly doesn’t agree with them. If we were aware of them, Bruce would not have done the show.”=== The Rauner Crew handling the image of their Principle; You guys are terrible. Period. You put your guy in places and in situations constantly where the follow-up is “Bruce didn’t know… We didn’t know … We weren’t aware…” Your Press/Advance group is amateur at best, or inept at worst. You Principle is running for Governor. Every move, appearance, word, picture, handshake, hug… Collectively… …place before the voters an image of who Rauner is. It’s like, “Send Bruce out there, retail, and we’ll decide later if it’s an overall win.” You can’t run a Crew that has the Press Shop apologizing for the moves made by your Principle. Advance Staff, and research by that Crew is sometimes more important than just showing up and hoping it all turns out ok. The Scheduler is not someone who knows how to work “Windows ‘Calendar’ 3.0″. The Scheduler is the “Bad Cop” telling those most likely to hurt Rauner, “yeah, he can’t fit that in, thanks.” That live is not reserved for the SJ-R Editorial Board, k? Get your internal Crew who handles putting Bruce in peril in order, beginning with Mike Schrimpf, and work down to the Driver. And, if you are assigned to Bruce for events, or Press, or anything of exposure, help him, don’t be enamored of him it your role. You are there to keep Bruce safe, not to look cool for yourself glomming on Bruce like those you are keeping from him. Get it together, this is getting old, Rauner Crew. Either be pros, or just admit it, you guys are “amateurs with money”. Pathetic. - Stuff happens - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:02 am: OW, right on the money (all meanings intended). - walker - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:03 am: OK content. Focuses more on the difference in income, and how unfair or otherworldly that might sound to most “regular” folks, than on the minimum wage issue itself. Weak production. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:04 am: –“Bruce was not aware of these past statements and certainly doesn’t agree with them. If we were aware of them, Bruce would not have done the show.”– Sgt. Schultz, at it again. Rauner might not have been aware of this kook, but he’s paying good money to staff who are supposed to keep him out of these messes. Other than buying a lot of media during the primary and cashing their checks, I don’t see too much A-Team effort in the Rauner crew. Quinn’s crew hasn’t shown anything yet, either. The NYC mayoral primary is over — time to run an Illinois race. Does the Quinn team even know who Stu Levine is? - x ace - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:05 am: Oh No, Rauner Crew is going to say, that as a matter of principle, OW should be sent to the Principal’s Office ( again). - lake county democrat - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:05 am: Rauner has the money to jujitsu these ads. “Why is Pat Quinn lying about Bruce Rauner?” with superimposed statements from the Trib and Sun-Times about how he supports raising the minimum wage (omitting the flip-flop). Or “Yes, I’m blessed to be wealthy - I don’t need to dance to the tune of special interests and will stand up to them to save this state.” Quinn’s best hope is to respect the voters intelligence with an “we’re all in this together” angle along the lines Bill Clinton used in his speech at the 2012 convention. - Upon Further Review - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:07 am: Never heard of Pfister, but mainstream columnists (including George Will) are repeatedly invoking the term “Imperial Presidency” when referring to Obama’s disdain for the separation of powers. Being compared to Nixon on a regular basis is never a good thing. Such comments have been directed towards Obama for months and his poll approval numbers are falling. Pfister discredits himself by injecting race into his arguments. Rauner needs to steer clear of this guy. - Cry Baby - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:08 am: I rate in D+. It is meaningless. The train has left the station. It is like you fellow want to believe Quinn has a chance. That is a delusional thought process. You are lying to yourself. If the only thing the opposition can attack is a claim that General Rauner has a lot of money, then you might as well turn the lights out. On second thought, I rate the ad a “D”. - CirularFiringSquad - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:08 am: Actually Mitt made $54 million, but took a “loss” of $600K for ag work. Hard to believe anyone votes for a guy who can’t make money farming in Illinois. BTW Mitt and Mr. Shrimp’s explanation in the Bernie really sounds like the Blagoofian “we don’t know, we don’t care” motto Thanks for the reminder guys Fire,Aim Ready! - Langhorne - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:09 am: I dont think online ads accomplish anything, except in the rare instances where they break thru and go viral. (Netsch shooting pool would prob work). Those who already know their preference may look at an ad like this to keep track of things. But it wont bring in new voters. - Hit or Miss - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:09 am: I see the ad as a minor plus for Quinn. It lets Rauner loose those who earn minimum wage or close to it. Those with large concerns with social issues who are not already anti-Rauner have found a reason to become so. I suspect that this ad by itself will have little impact on most voters unless Quinn can link this message with other issues during the campaign. - Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:11 am: @Cry Baby Thought the same thing four years ago…. - Pete - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:12 am: “When you mow the lawn, he rakes in $25,673″ Why would the Quinn campaign make any reference to lawn care? Rauner’s repsonse is simple: Govenor Quinn makes 8x’s the state minimum wage, and has done less for the state of Illinois than most minimum wage employees. *Add Illinois statistical information here.* - Bring Back Boone's - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:12 am: I didn’t think it was very effective. There are better ways to spin that, and I thought it was pretty lame. For starters he “takes” his salary? This just cheapens the ad and is disingenuous. Second- if you’re going to try to portray the guy as Monty Burns then don’t use a picture of him that looks like he’s posing in an L.L. Bean catalog. Get it together people. - walker - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:15 am: Curious about this medium choice. Is it simply cheap, easy, and why not? To build a little awareness during the Summer? Are these web ads the new way to test messages before they get full production for cable? If so, how to measure effectiveness? Do they expect to actually drive voters, and encourage funders with them? Do they expect one of them to catch on and go “viral’? If so, they need to be more quirky and dramatic. - Wally - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:16 am: If what Rauner used to do was easy, everybody would do it. If hitting a 95 mph fastball for a high average and earning 10-20 mil a year was easy, everybody would do it. But, it isn’t. Rauner has been VERY successful and PQ has been, well, …………… - Brookport Brandon - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:17 am: B+ on the web video. 3 clear instances of Mr. Rauner opposing the minimum wage all make him look like Mr. Burns. A smarmy, lying, out-of-touch .01% phony. - logic not emotion - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:22 am: Helps make the case that the best choice for voters is neither candidate. But for a realistic option… Dillard as Independent? - Goooner - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:23 am: Upon Further Review, People are also calling the President a Commie Nazi Muslim from Kenya. Just because a lot of people say it, it doesn’t mean it is true or that it is acceptable. UFR, don’t try to defend Fritz, when reasonable people conclude that there is no defense for Fritz. As to the merits — what Oswego Willy said. Oswego nailed it. Again. I will go a step farther though and point out that GOP consultants overall are not very good and this is yet more evidence. They are not very good at polling. And they are not very good at some of the basics. Where are their researchers? Where was the person to go through the list of events and say “No, this person said some crazy stuff. We need to pass.” At some point, somebody on the right should just back up a truckload full of money at Will Caskey’s house to find out the price to get him to flip sides. If that happens, you will see a candidate running a race right. They desperately need a person who can do research right. - A guy... - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:26 am: If this merits a pass, it would just barely. Could easily be a fail. Making a comparison between these two people is hard to get people to take seriously. For years this messaging has not worked; comparing the CEO salary to a worker on an assembly line. No one, no one expects there to be any legitimate comparison between those two vastly different responsibilities. It’s gracious not to give this a “fail” grade. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:27 am: ===…Dillard as Independent?=== Can’t. Period. - John A Logan - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:33 am: Silly Statements or not, I don’t understand why Rauner needs to apologize for appearing on the show. Al Sharpton has said some pretty ludicrous things over the years. Should no candidate appear on his MSNBC broadcast? If one of those statements had been made during Rauners appearance and he did not push back then it would be an issue. This is sound and furry signifying nothing. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:37 am: ===If one of those statements had been made during Rauners appearance and he did not push back then it would be an issue. This is sound and furry signifying nothing.=== If appearances at certain events, or with certain people didn’t matter, then why do Candidates avoid certain groups and people? Because… it does matter. Image matters. Narratives matter. Who and what groups you align with…matter. It always matters. Can’t wish it away. - the Patriot - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:49 am: It is like watching Jack Ryan part II. We so badly want a contender and have a guy who has the resources to win. But instead of being encouraged by his groundbreaking energy and straight talk all I can think is if this clown made 2 billion how in the heck am I not rich? ugh. Is it too late to just let these guys go 12 rounds on PPV and at least use the money to pay fund education? Otherwise I see nothing productive happening in this campaign process. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:52 am: I rate the ad a B-. Rauner flip flopped on the minimum wage. He was against it, but when that became known, he was suddenly “flippant” in his opposition to it. That’s why I give it a slightly higher rating. Super-wealthy people who are strongly opposed to giving workers a small minimum wage increase, in this economy and with this distribution of wealth, is sickening. Rauner was one of those people, until he realized his position could hurt him. “It is like you fellow want to believe Quinn has a chance.” I think this is the wrong interpretation. It’s a “miracle” that someone like Quinn, who’s very unpopular, even has a chance. Rauner has a tremendous amount of baggage, because he’s an insider, has the nursing home scandal, won’t reveal any serious policy, etc. This baggage gives Quinn a chance to win a race that he should lose. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 11:29 am: ===I will go a step farther though and point out that GOP consultants overall are not very good and this is yet more evidence. They are not very good at polling. And they are not very good at some of the basics.=== There are some incredibly talented GOP operatives. Talented operatives are like umpires; when you don’t notice “them” then they are at their best. The problem is not true talent for the ILGOP. The problems begin and end in understanding what “IS”the ILGOP, and how best to build a field operation, from ground troops, to recruitment, to message, to image, to agendas, to victory. Plenty of incredible talent in the ILGOP. The Rauner Crew, in this instance, is terrible in understanding the role of Advance, Scheduling, and Message, and the Crew is not making it look professional, and having to constantly apologize for the Principle for obvious oversights by that Crew is rank amateur “Overall” is a bit lazy. Thanks to all for the very kind words. If Rauner had a Crew who understood that… - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 11:53 am: To the Web Ad, “B-”, hits all the points to frame the argument, what it didn’t need in framing it was having the worker in compare/contrast. If the 45 seconds focused on the soundbites and Rauner’s reality, personally and through his quotes, far more impactful… …for a web ad. I know, it’s part of a larger, greater message and that narrative, but why muddy it with one part compare/contrast, and another of Rauner, and his life, his words, and his beliefs? “B-”, but who is going to be exposed to it in mass? - the Patriot - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 12:25 pm: Grandson, I assume you do not own a business. Right now a gas station owner in Southern IL has to pay employees approximately 18% more than competitors less than 20 miles away. Add on huge tax difference and the ability to compete is almost non existent. If you take the wage difference to 30%, you are going to make the few small businesses still left go under or leave. NO business can afford to pay employees 30% more than a competitor. the Anti minimum wage hike position is supported by economic evidence. The inability of a billionaire to express that in human terms is beyond comprehension. - PublicServant - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 12:38 pm: So was Rauner lying when he said he’d lower the minimum wage a buck an hour, or when he flip-flopped when he thought it could hurt his “common-man” bogus image? - PolPal56 - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 12:42 pm: Grandson of Man, I agree - PQ should lose. But this is a blue, blue state. Brucie is in a pickle - he made statements in the primary that he has failed to overwrite by issuing any policy statements (any REAL policy statements) or saying much of anything. If all Brucie does is allow his past statements to talk for him, he’s in trouble. Going silent is not to his advantage right now. He made statements that will not be welcome by the blue state independents he’s trying to win over. As was stated here many times after the primary, Brucie needed to make a shift to more moderate positions to win statewide. He’s made a couple of feeble, transparent attempts. He’s mostly been silent. As I’ve said before, he’s allowing PQ to define him. Mistake. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 1:19 pm: “the Anti minimum wage hike position is supported by economic evidence” Some states recently raised their minimum wages. Is there evidence that they’re being hurt by it? Is there evidence that previous federal minimum wage increases have hurt the economy? Where are the employers who shut down or left because of minimum wage increases, and how do they compare with those who didn’t? I’d like to see the evidence, because so far I haven’t seen it. - downstate hack - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 1:53 pm: B+, A good ad, If I were Governor Quinn this would roll out in mainstream media ads. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 2:17 pm: Didn’t the Rauner advance team learn their lesson after the Sangamon County dinner with Cellini? You can not prevent someone from showing up at a dinner, but you could have a response ready. You could also take 5 minutes to check out the Tea Party radio host you are sending Mr. Rauner to speak with. - steve schnorf - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 2:17 pm: “I’m better than Al Sharpton” is not a good message. I thought Barack Obama was head and shoulders better than Alan Keyes, but I didn’t vote for him (didn’t vote for Keyes either) - Just The Way It Is One - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 8:08 pm: Re. the latest Quinn YouTube Commercial: OUCH!…times however many hits and “sharing” with friends and family who vote = MEGA Ouch to Baron Bruce! But once word got out about what the dude rakes in coldly with calculation buying and selling places like those Top-Rated Nursing Homes (gfaw!), you just KNEW THAT Ad was coming. I’m frankly surprised that this inCREDibly effective and influential Pro-Quinn Ad is not running on TV yet! (Maybe it’s in the Works)?! Absolutely “A” Grade material, though, and, ironically, although RAUner thinks being beyond beYOND rich is something people think is cool, most average Illinois folks and voters see a person like that as unQUESTionably someone who just due to his wealth aLONE naturally thinks he is above them and so conclude that he cannot ever truly relate to them and their every-day, middle and/or lower class struggles… And what can you add about “Fritz?” Another radical running wild over the airwaves and the Baron actually have the nerve to try to wimp out and say, “Oops, well, we didn’t know.” Balderdash! UNbelievable. And at the very least, shameful and/or incompetent Rauner Campaign staff work. Just makes ya kind of wonder: do the “PEOPle” (i.e. that is, of ILLINOIS) KNOW that this kind of Garbage is going on in Rauner’s Campaign under his direct Watch…?! - Just The Way It Is One - Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 8:11 pm: That was meant to read in Paragraph 3 above, “…and the Baron and his Staff actually have the nerve….” Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.