Have we hit bottom yet?
Friday, Sep 5, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Earlier this week, a guy working for Bruce Rauner tried to interest me in running a story on Gov. Pat Quinn’s “minimum wage challenge.” Quinn did a fly drive-around this week to promote the challenge, so the Rauner guy wanted to point out that lots of campaign dollars were being spent on the show and wondered why it didn’t factor into his minimum wage spending limit?
I said that was kinda silly. The challenge is mainly about food and other small expenses. Totally symbolic, of course, but bringing up that other stuff just seemed juvenile.
* But the Quinn campaign just made the same sort of argument…
How Many Cases of Wine Can Bruce Rauner Fit In His “Trashcan” Suburban?
CHICAGO - Bruce Rauner was seen stepping out of what appears to be a 2015 LS Model Chevrolet Suburban, despite claiming that he drives a 1990s “trashcan van” in his latest ad.
Here’s the video.
A 2015 LS Suburban has a maximum cargo volume of 121.1 cubic feet.
A case of wine usually has a width of 10 inches, a length of 12 inches, and a height of 12 inches, which had us wondering…
How many cases of wine can fit in Bruce Rauner’s “trashcan” Suburban?
Volume of a 2015 LS Suburban:
121.1 cubic feet = 209, 260.8 cubic inches
Volume of a case of wine:
10 x 12 x 12 = 1,440 cubic inches
209,260.8 / 1,440 = 145.32
That’s right. Bruce Rauner can fit about 145 cases of wine in his Suburban.
Oh, for crying out loud. What does being driven to an event have to do with his beat up old van?
Man, I’m glad it’s Friday.
- vise77 - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:32 pm:
I am often reminded what it feels like to have my intelligence insulted. While I am not the smartest person around, I do have a brain, and I can all but feel it being slapped around.
Only a few more hours to beer time, so I guess I have that going for me.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:35 pm:
“Attention Quinn Crew,
I was told there would be no math in your rebuttal. What’s next, Newton’s Law? Making me do math adds up to Dopey.
Signed,
OW”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:37 pm:
“Dear Quinn Press People,
You forgot a step and your remainder is not carried.
Signed,
Will Hunting”
- VanillaMan - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:38 pm:
This is insanity.
You don’t let your opponent set the tone of the campaign and then chase after him like kindergarteners after a soccer ball.
Rauner is going soft and fuzzy in order to close the sale he has been making over the past six months.
You don’t attack the soft and fuzzy. You put out your own soft and fuzzies, like that lawn mower ad.
Sell Pat Quinn.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:40 pm:
“Quinn Press Staff,
What time did the Suburban leave New York, and when did the trashcan van leave Detroit, and which arrived in Omaha first?
Signed,
Every 7th grader in Illinois”
- OneMan - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:41 pm:
I think we have reached the point where the staffs are now driven by pure hate…
- Peoria guy - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:42 pm:
Truly the silly season
- PoolGuy - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:43 pm:
that response is pretty much like an 8th grader solving a math story problem. ugh grow up press staffers.
- Norseman - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:43 pm:
The campaign kiddies have really brought these campaigns down to a new level of goofiness.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:43 pm:
Ok, you’re the suburban driver. Got it?
Bruce picked up two lawn mowers, and three bottles of wine. The first stop, Bruce dropped off one lawn mower an one bottle of wine. Next stop, Bruce picked up 3 lawn mowers, but dropped off one bottle of wine. On the last stop, Bruce dropped off one lawn mower, but picked up 7 bottles of wine. Got it? So, whose the Suburban driver?
- 3rd Generation Chicago Native - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:44 pm:
Did anyone take into consideration the weight of all the cases of wine? So at 40 lbs a case average that is 5800 lbs, if he pulls it behind he can pull 7300 lbs, and it looks like 800 inside capacity for a 2015 Suburban
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:45 pm:
==- VanillaMan - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:38 pm:==
It’s a press release. The vast majority of voters do not see press releases.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:46 pm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liINpWL3aHw
- Under Further Review - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:46 pm:
Governor Quinn,
Once upon a time, Democratic precinct captains used to provide voters with a bottle of wine or a carton of cigarettes as a reward for voting.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:46 pm:
I am going to send coloring books to both Crews;
Rauner’s Crew will get Landscapes.
Quinn’s Crew will get household goods and “trucks and cars”
Maybe then we won’t get these types of ignorant back and forths.
- Louis G Atsaves - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 1:50 pm:
How many wine racks can be installed in Rauner’s van? Perhaps the Quinn campaign can revisit their calculations and waste some more of their not so valuable time with some more silly answers.
Now if they can apply all that “talent” towards solving the budget problem . . .
- Bill White - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:09 pm:
Q: Have we hit bottom yet?
A: No
- Stones - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:15 pm:
If they are coming up with this stuff now I can’t wait until the 2nd half of October!
- Ahoy! - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:16 pm:
Have we hit bottom yet?
I would say it seems like we have, but I’m guessing its going to get worse somehow. They will both figure out a way.
- Judgment Day - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:17 pm:
Ok, maybe a few ideas for next week …..
1) Food Handler Training and certification (Public Act 098-0566) went into effect July 1, 2014 (for restaurants) and July 1, 2016 (for non-restaurants). Enforcement starts in December, 2014.
This is going to drive local governments (and restaurants) nuts. Great idea in practice, blows in reality. More regulation coming from people who spend all their time sitting around thinking up great thoughts…. Squawking over cupcakes will be nothing compared to this little jewel.
2) Watch for more continued blowback on the new nutrition ‘guidelines’ for school lunches. Probably a great idea, but the kids ain’t buying what the ’suits’ are selling. Every time the ’suits’ try and dictate to the kids, the kids win.
It’s already generating enormous amounts of food waste, and losses for the school food programs. It’s what happens when the ’suits’ push ‘top down thinking’ without having any idea of what’s actually happening down on the ground.
Just 2 stories to think about…..
- Jechislo - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:24 pm:
Wow. If worked. I’m voting for Quinn now. \s off
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:25 pm:
The Quinnsters should stick to their Priuses. 145 cases of wine, even if it would fit, is only oh, about 2-2.5 tons above the Suburban’s on-board cargo limit. Talk about hitting the bottom.
Oh, and they got the model year wrong too.
#DevilisInTheDetails #BringBackSqueezy
- wordslinger - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:29 pm:
The math wiz-kids on the Quinn crew should be issued a pair of jimmies amd given a choice: start knocking on doors, or hit the bricks.
Way too much time on their hands.
- A guy... - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:34 pm:
Ask the Quinn kids how all that extra weight affects the gas mileage of the……
On second thought, don’t.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:38 pm:
Hit bottom? We can’t even see the bottom yet. We’re going to sink lower than any of us thought possible before this is over.
My advice to my friends here is to pace yourself. We’ve got a long way to go yet.
- Dave Dahl - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:38 pm:
Where would you bury the survivors?
- Archiesmom - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:40 pm:
Happy hour obviously got started early at Quinn campaign HQ today. Got to get those interns under control.
- sal-says - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 2:46 pm:
== Have we hit bottom yet? ==
I suspect the answer is ‘not even close’.
Maybe 1 case of Rauner’s $140,000 wine club wine would be worth more than his trashcan van?
And, I’d still really love to know how much his boots cost; the ones he had on when he rode his Harley to the State Fair.
- walker - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 3:14 pm:
Kids play on both sides today.
- PolPal56 - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 3:23 pm:
Ow ow ow ow ow… math on Friday afternoon makes my brain sad.
- Johnny Utah - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 4:13 pm:
I disagree that this is silly. That’s the best display of mathematics we’ve seen from this bunch.
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 4:15 pm:
This is what the “big brains” keep coming up with from both campaigns?
It was funny the first week or so. Then it became mundane and tiresome.
Now it’s just pathetic.
- Votecounter - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 4:17 pm:
If Quinn is going to say that he is living on minimum wage paying for gas is a major part of peoples budget You can,t claim to be living on minimum wage and not include gas for the ride to work and store. That,s why this stunt is so dumb at the end of his stunt he will eat and have a roof over his head, what is he proving except he is a jerk?
- WhoKnew - Friday, Sep 5, 14 @ 4:46 pm:
Got a ROBO call from Rauner yesterday. He said an absentee ballot was on its way.
Now for a case of some of this wine everyone is talkin’ bout — I might consider it!
Naw! I think I’ll hold out for Quinn’s lawnmower!