* Progress Illinois…
During his City Club of Chicago remarks, [Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider] defended Rauner and his pro-business, anti-union policy agenda.
“He can move anywhere in the country or the world for that matter, and he’s chosen to put his foot down and lay his roots right here and try to build a better Illinois,” Schneider said.
“I hear often enough that our governor is destroying our state — he’s eliminating our social service safety net. And it drives me crazy. You’re gonna blame a guy that’s been in office for not even two years for the dire condition of the state for the last three decades? That’s not a Bruce Rauner’s making, it’s Bruce Rauner that’s trying to fix it.”
* From Illinois Public Radio last October, quoting a Rauner speech in 2012…
“In Illinois there’s been a long-time history of what I would call social service, social justice, a bigger role for government in a safety net than in many other states. … What’s interesting, I think there’s a wedge issue here. … We cannot afford — we will crush our economy if we try to spend money on both high-cost, inefficient, bureaucratic, heavily unionized government and a social safety net to help the disadvantaged, the weak and the poor, which many of us would like to be able to do. We can’t afford both. … We have to make a choice. I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic and bring the folks who say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or Af-scammy (AFSCME), who are out there for their own interests.’”
Just sayin…
- old pol - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:40 am:
It’s been said:”when you hit bottom - stop digging”. The interim and stop gap budgets keep digging us deeper. If the money is not there, stop the over spending!
- Tom - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:40 am:
“That’s not Bruce Rauner’s making, it’s Bruce Rauner that’s trying to fix it (by making things worse.)”
There, fixed it with the parenthesis.
- AlfondoGonz - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:40 am:
If Schneider is driven crazy, perhaps he can find solace in the many well-funded mental health institutions that our great State provides for its citizens. /s
- Pawn - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:40 am:
Thanks, Rich, for reminding people about the origins of this strategy. We are not collateral damage in this war — we are the weapon! Not by our choice did we get dragged into this ideological warfare. So poor Schneider. He is delusional if he thinks Rauner has no responsibility for this mess.
- Rabid - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:40 am:
Mission accomplished “going to drive them nuts”
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:41 am:
===”He can move anywhere in the country or the world for that matter, and he’s chosen to put his foot down and lay his roots right here and try to build a better Illinois,” Schneider said===
Hmm.
“… “He can move anywhere, like Chicago, to clout his denied Winnetka-living daughter into Payton Prep over a worthy kid. Bruce has houses all over the country or the world for that matter, and he’s chosen to put his foot down on the necks of Labor in Illinois and he wants collective bargaining and prevailing wage gone, and wants workers to have less, and Bruce wears his costumes, some with vests and boots right here and is trying to build a divide, right here in this state,” Fake Schneider meant to say.”
Better.
- AC - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:42 am:
==That’s not a Bruce Rauner’s making, it’s Bruce Rauner that’s trying to fix it==
If I went to my doctor, and found that his treatments actually made the ailment I suffered from even worse than not having any treatment at all, I’d be seeking a new physician.
- Keyrock - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:44 am:
Maybe the Ooda-loops are working — on Schneider.
- GA Watcher - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:50 am:
What else is the GOP Chairman going to say when his committee has nearly $21 million on hand and the Governor has provided nearly $20.5 million of that?
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:56 am:
You don’t break something with great intention, and then refuse to “pay” for the damage done. Rauner wanted a wedge. He froze all contracts. He refused(refuses) to do his Constitutional budget duties. He has outright purchased the ILGOP. Crazy, Schneider??? Cold, cruel, and calculated. Your leader is a CEO, not a governor. He has told you that from the beginning.
- Give Me A Break - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:56 am:
As Rich would say, another victim heard from.
- LTSW - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 10:58 am:
Thats where the governor has not communicated well. The message should be that the Dems have chosen AFSCME and SEIU over social service providers. Don’t necessarily agree, but the message that most are hearing is that the gov wants to cut everything to the bone.
- IllinoisBoi - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:07 am:
Rauner could have chosen anyplace in the world to destroy, and he chose Illinois. Lucky lucky us.
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:09 am:
He’s not doing a very good job trying to fix it. If he were really interested in trying to do something he would learn how to govern and work on putting forth realistic proposals. He’s wasted nearly 2 years now pushing an agenda that isn’t going to pass.
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:10 am:
My goodness, “He all up in his fee fees”
- Anon2 - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:22 am:
He picked the wrong wedge.
Should have tried to split the public sector unions against the trades. A big capital bill combined with collective bargaining reform might have done it.
Too late now.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:28 am:
–You’re gonna blame a guy that’s been in office for not even two years for the dire condition of the state for the last three decades? –
No, just for his actions and inactions since taking office.
That’s plenty.
- cdog - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:31 am:
Oh please, spare us with the fake talk of a savior.
“You’re gonna blame a guy that’s been in office for not even two years for the dire condition of the state for the last three decades? That’s not a Bruce Rauner’s making, it’s Bruce Rauner that’s trying to fix it.”
Uncertainty. Uncertainty. Uncertainty. It is one of the death nails of an economy and it is entirely owned by Rauner with regard to the Illinois economy.
Rauner chose to quit paying down the backlog and be a team player for the betterment of Illinois.
He is to blame, now.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:38 am:
Rauner lied.
He lied about his anti-union priority.
He lied about his political agenda.
He lied about his business skills.
He lied about his love of Illinois.
He flat out lied repeatedly.
He never said how he would approach governing. He never told us that starving government was his plan from Day One. He never told us he would be a governor who could not be bipartisan, compromise or lead.
So he got elected on lies, so he could be elected. He did it deliberately. He played us as fools. He showed no respect for us.
Schneider should be grateful that all we do after what Rauner has done to Illinois is criticize him. Tim needs to be grateful that he even has a job because if Rauner had his way, he’d can everyone the moment they fail to do his bidding.
Sit down Tim. You’re looking like a naive bumpkin.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:40 am:
===You’re gonna blame a guy that’s been in office for not even two years for the dire condition of the state for the last three decades? That’s not a Bruce Rauner’s making, it’s Bruce Rauner that’s trying to fix it.”===
Crain’s? Crain’s…
“By nearly every measure, the state is worse off since Rauner took office.”
Chairman… Welp?
- @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:42 am:
“He can move anywhere in the country or the world for that matter, and he’s chosen to put his foot down and lay his roots right here and try to build a better Illinois.”
Noblesse oblige — but neither ‘noble’ nor ‘obliging’.
– MrJM
- walker - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:54 am:
Rauner’s roots, and his money and power, were laid in Illinois years ago. It’s been a very good environment for his kind of business.
- Captain Illini - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 11:58 am:
High fives V-Man…I couldn’t have said it better.
To the post, Tim is purposely disingenuous with his remarks since I’m confident the Governor has shared his “vision” with party leaders. He’s now trying the old - act like a neutral person - rather than being the shill he is.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 12:05 pm:
Tim is driven crazy, until he picks up his paycheck.
- walker - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 12:13 pm:
Always thought Schneider got his job because his predecessor understood Rauner better.
- illinoised - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 12:14 pm:
Yes, I am gonna blame it on someone who’s been in office less than two years, because unlike every other body of government in the U.S., Illinois does not have a budget.
- Triple fat - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 12:18 pm:
‘You’re gonna blame a guy that’s been in office not even two years…?’ This is an easy one!!! YES!
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 12:22 pm:
–Illinois does not have a budget.–
In reality, Illinois does have a de facto budget. Taxes are being collected, and money is going out like crazy.
It’s just the worst kind of budget, uncontrolled, with no rational priorities being established for core functions.
Inaction is often much worse than action, no matter how unpleasant that action might be.
- retired guy - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 12:34 pm:
So, in other words, he has to destroy the social services system to fix it. He’s not a reformer, he’s a decimator.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 1:02 pm:
Well, maybe Schneider should take off his apron, put down the spatula, and get out of the kitchen.
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 1:25 pm:
To quote Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men, “Hey Schneider, why don’t you do the world a favor and pull your lip over your head and swallow.”
You don’t like criticism? Too bad. Criticism happens even when you are doing a good job. And your boy ain’t. Get used to it.
- Bobby Catalpa - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 1:49 pm:
Go away, Schneider. You’re part of the problem.
- Liberty - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 3:13 pm:
Clearly this sycophant shouldn’t be chairman.
- In a Minute - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 3:14 pm:
Rauner’s 2012 comments are spot on.
Illinois can have a system of government where public employees are handsomely compensated and given rich retirement benefits. Or it can have a system of government that provides infrastructure, education, public safety and social services to the truly needy.
But it can’t have both. The numbers don’t work and that is what these fights are all about.
- Truthteller - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 4:03 pm:
Why does anyone want to know what Schneider thinks? You could just ask Rauner what the Party Chairman thinks.
- 37B - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 4:25 pm:
@In a Minute “The numbers don’t work . . . ”
Yes they do. The Quinn 5% incomes tax numbers that is. Bills were paid, services were provided, bill backlog was significantly paid down, and both ramp payments as well as normal cost pension payments were made.
Whether or not you like the numbers, they did and do indeed work.
- DHS Jim - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 4:45 pm:
“He can move anywhere in the country or the world for that matter…” Ah, if only he would!
- 37B - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 5:33 pm:
Sorry. Should have been “. . .income tax numbers”.
Who learned me how to spell?
- dray - Wednesday, Sep 28, 16 @ 7:41 pm:
These Rauner cheerleaders remind me of the Trump deplorables. Eerily similar.
- Rabid - Thursday, Sep 29, 16 @ 7:37 am:
The guy that just got here has been bloviating for over two years about releasing his business manifesto