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* The Sun-Times sat down with Gov. Pat Quinn, who showed more fire than he has in a very long while. Here’s Quinn on Bruce Rauner’s minimum wage flip-flop….
He got caught red-handed calling for a cut in the minimum wage. I think that’s the bottom line. That’s the real Bruce Rauner, a billionaire who doesn’t have any understanding of what it’s like to live from paycheck to paycheck. Folks who do hard jobs, who don’t want to live in poverty, who are following all the rules, working 40 hours a week. We ought to raise their pay to help our economy if we want to be competitive, we should make sure that those literally hundreds of thousands of folks who would benefit from a wage increase, they should come first. Billionaires like Bruce Rauner should move to the back of the line. We’re not going to let him get away with what he said in the primary. He’s trying to duck that issue.
* On Rauner claiming he’s in the 0.01 percent…
Well, I have one home, I don’t have nine mansions. I will never be part of the 1 percent. Matter of fact, I’ll be about 102 before I pay back my kid’s college loan.
I think it’s important to understand it isn’t going to be about who has the most money who wins this election, it’s who connects to everyday people who are the heart and soul of Illinois. I believe in government of the many; he believes in government of the money. I think there will be a real contest of values here … he’s just going around bragging about his abundance of money, I don’t think that connects you to the real lives of every day people. We want a government that is fair to all, not just the billionaires.
* On Rauner’s contention that taking campaign contributions from public employee unions is the same as accepting a bribe…
I think it’s a lot of baloney. People have a right to form organizations, unions to bargain for their wages and their working conditions. That’s as American as apple pie. That’s good for America. It helps our economy to make sure that people have a decent wage and decent health care and decent benefits. I just don’t know what he’s driving at. First of all, he’s against minimum-wage workers, he wants to drive them down and literally take $2,000 out of their pockets. And then for folks who vote for a union, he wants to attack those unions and make it hard for people to have that ability at the bargaining table.
These plutocrats at the top of the power heap, they may have a lot of money, but they don’t have any understanding of everyday people and what they go through.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:37 am
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102 before he pays back a student loan???!!!
With that type of financial planning it is no wonder there is $7 billion in bill backlog.
Comment by Trader Vic Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:39 am
While Quinn is far from the best messenger, his message is spot on. Rauner proves that no matter how bad things are, they can be made worse
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:43 am
I read/listened to this “interview”. Not once did I see or hear if he intended to extend the tax increase, why we have the 2nd lowest unemployment in the country, why he has increased spending when he knew the money was not there to spend. The Sun Times, once known as “The Daley News” is now becoming “The Pat Quinn Journal”.
Comment by olok1973 Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:43 am
The Governor’s salary is $179K per year. This puts him in the top 3% of Americans. How is he ever going to relate to the other 97%?
Comment by bmcosti Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:45 am
Quinn is pretty spot on. His campaign has been preparing for months for this battle, and he is winning the message war. When you buy a nomination with your own fortune, you ensure that the race becomes the rich vs. the working class.
Comment by DS Politico Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:46 am
Rauner has 9 mansions and is currently in the market for a 10th. Rumor has it, he’ll spend millions to get it.
Comment by Knome Sane Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:47 am
vote for me — i don’t have nine homes. I didn’t build a fortune from scratch. I’ve never done anything but run for public office.
That’s not a bad line considering the alternative is — For four more years of chaos and incompetence, vote for Quinn
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:49 am
Quinn has about as much experience being a working class guy as I have being an elected official, and now governor of Illinois.
Quinn is full of it. Rauner makes him look poor, so he is claiming to be just like us. Which one of these guys doesn’t have a limo and a mansion again?
Neither.
You want to claim to be a working guy Pat? At which millionaire fundraiser, with which million-dollar election staff meeting, at which elegant mansion or hotel suite - did your team of overpaid bloviators come up with that swill?
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:52 am
Rauner has received more money from government than all of the Democrats running in Illinois this year combined. It’s not even close.
But Rauner got his so now he wants to pull up the drawbridge. When will people wake up see the incredible phoniness of Rauner? Quinn is starting to make the case which is good.
Comment by too obvious Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:54 am
Hey Pat - just wave to us from the back seat of your chauffeured limo in your line of escort vehicles…
You poor Soy Boy - you!
Or have one of your staffers from your multimillion dollar campaign wave at us for you.
I know - it is so hard to be so POOR!
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:55 am
PQ has just set himself up for a bunch of damaging ads!
Comment by Wally Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:56 am
Yup, olok, his entire campaign looks like it is going to be class warfare and attacking his opponent. That’s all he’s got.
He’s going to be asked why, if he understands struggles of everyday people, he can’t translate that into better opportunities for them, into better employment numbers, into a better economy. His campaign is going to answer with this, because he doesn’t have any better response. His record is awful.
Comment by liandro Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 10:57 am
Vanilla man, you may not know this but PQ drives his personal car around, much to the chagrin of his protection detail. No limos or black SUVs for him.
Comment by Chitowhv Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:04 am
Go easy VMan, it’s along time until November. You better pace yourself or you’ll never make it. As Rich noted in the headline, this is vintage Pat Quinn.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:08 am
*PQ has just set himself up for a bunch of damaging ads!*
He did? Maybe I am being slow, but what did he say that makes for a damaging ad?
To the post, Pat Quinn is at his best when campaigning. Rauner has fed into Quinn’s consistent storyline - I am for the working people of Illinois. You can make some legitimate arguments that policies he has backed run counter to that storyline, but the compare and contrast with PQ and Rauner works well for Pat.
Comment by Montrose Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:13 am
I have to agree with PQ (FOR ONCE). Rauner has no idea nor does he care about the common Illinois citizen.
Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:14 am
Pat Quinn — “Folks who do hard jobs, who don’t want to live in poverty, who are following all the rules, working 40 hours a week. We ought to raise their pay to help our economy if we want to be competitive, we should make sure that those literally hundreds of thousands of folks who would benefit from a wage increase, they should come first.”
Or, Gov, we could get more competent political and economic leadership to turn our state around, so that there are bigger and better opportunities to rise up into after one is ready to move on from a minimum wage job. How about making sure there are real career opportunities, as opposed to the few extra bucks you are hoping will buy their allegiance?
Quinn panders with the worst parts of populism, and our state will always under-perform what it is capable of as long as he is our top leader.
Comment by liandro Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:18 am
PQ: See, the big difference between Rauner and myself is that he believes public unions are completely responsible for Illinois’ problems. I, on the other hand, only hold them mostly responsible.
Comment by Johnny Q. Suburban Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:26 am
“Folks who do hard jobs, who don’t want to live in poverty, who are following all the rules, working 40 hours a week.”
Great message for the union people EXCEPT that Quinn was the one who called for, got and signed a bill messing with the pensions of the “Folks … following all the rules …” Quinn’s got a lot of fences to mend if he’s going to make that play in Peoria.
Comment by RNUG Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:32 am
Truth is that those minimum wage folks don’t really pay attention to any of them. They don’t have time. The average bus boy, waitress, landscaper, etc. don’t have the luxury of watching a lot of TV. Many don’t even vote. They’re too busy trying to get from one day to the next. For them, success is a better job with better pay. I like Pat. I’m supporting Bruce. Pat isn’t any closer to the minimum wage worker than Bruce is. To them, Pat is very wealthy. To them, I’m very wealthy. Try getting into a trade union even with a stellar high school education right now. You can’t. Almost no matter how connected you are. The guy who convinces people the economy will improve with big jobs and big projects is going to win. The guy who puts more money into the hands of working families is going to win. No one cares who’s richer. It’s academic for people who live paycheck to paycheck. To them, every politician is rich. 1%, 3%, 5%, doesn’t matter.
Comment by A guy... Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:33 am
“Matter of fact, I’ll be about 102 before I pay back my kid’s college loan.”
- Pattie, why are YOU paying back your adult child’s college loan? Is your son employed? Why isn’t HE making the payments? Or is that line just part of your “I’m a struggling working class kinda guy” shtick?
Comment by Reader Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:34 am
C’mon, Pat, cut to the chase. Who’s gonna get that next 50 mil? I gotta a great program, just needs a few bucks. I can get out the vote - c’mon, Pat, waddya say?
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:38 am
11:38 was me.
Comment by dupage dan Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:39 am
Bottom line, Rauner cake walked the GOP primary, which was unfrotunate. Rauner got the GOP money sources to starve his opponents; the problem is he didnt have to go through a real fight. he would have been better off to push funding to his opponents and get some practice in.
he can dismiss Quinn, and pepper the airways with add about the problems the State is in, but at the end of the day Quinn is going to fight a lot harder then brady/Dillard and Rutherford combined, and Quinn knows this battle ground isnt built on 18 dollar watches and attacking unions.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 11:59 am
Go Pat Go!
Comment by Yipperdo Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 12:26 pm
Since Brucie has made the election about narratives and stories instead of actual substantive policies, he is playing into Pat’s one strong suit. And this is it. New phony Carhart v. used Betsy.
Comment by D.P.Gumby Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 12:41 pm
The Governor can’t afford to ignore Rauner’s representations when they’re repeated over and over and over and over again and again.
It wouldn’t hurt to counter with Merrie Melodies.
Bruce is more of an Elmer Fudd than a Mr. Burns.
Comment by Hans Sanity Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 1:00 pm
=Go Pat Go!=
Yep. As far away from Illinois as he can!
Comment by Arizona Bob Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 1:37 pm
Mrs. West Sider and I look forward to meeting Bruce Rauner and hearing his plans for the many school buildings that have been closed by his friend Rahm. Charters no doubt. We will encourage him to invest in the community…..and then we will vote for PQ in November. We know who our friends are.
Comment by West Sider Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 2:00 pm
==Or, Gov, we could get more competent political and economic leadership to turn our state around, so that there are bigger and better opportunities to rise up into after one is ready to move on from a minimum wage job. How about making sure there are real career opportunities, as opposed to the few extra bucks you are hoping will buy their allegiance?==
If you think Quinn alone is going to create “bigger and better opportunities,” I’ve got a functioning Martian colony you can buy. The largest growing sector of jobs in the American economy is low wage service positions. Is that Quinn’s fault that it is happening in 49 others states too and has been since well before the recession? Or is that the result of poor national policy and ruthless ideology that promoted foreign outsourcing, massive wage cuts, retirement insecurity, and other ills?
==Yep. As far away from Illinois as he can!==
Hopefully then he replaces Jan Brewer in Arizona. I know you’ll love that.
Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 3:42 pm
“Bruce and GTCR have provided Illinois retirees and teachers with tremendous returns, helping secure them a better a retirement. That’s why they were hired.”
The above quote is from the Rauner campaign, in the Quinn interview.
When did Rauner start opposing defined pensions? Was it only when he began running for governor?
Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 3:48 pm
=====When did Rauner start opposing defined pensions?
I thought he still supported DB plans, but only for key personnel and those who really deserve them, i.e., not the unions and their bosses.
Comment by Hans Sanity Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 4:23 pm
Easy for Quinn to put up his talking points in that softball interview. So now he thinks Rauner “breached his fiduciary duty” by having Sleazy Stu on a company consulting gig while Rauner was asking for more pension cash from the board on which Stu sat. Ok Pat, if this is such a big deal why haven’t you raised the issue until now? It’s been public knowledge for six years, you’ve been Gov for five, so why wait? You don’t even care enough about that pension fund to make timely appointments to the board.
Spare us the outrage, phony.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 5:07 pm
Wow: Pow-Pow-Pow, on each of the 3 Main Points in the Post. Clearly, and beyond a doubt, the 1st Round of this Bout for Governor on every key issue brought up this past week goes to Pat Quinn—and by a lot. Criticize as some may here, PERCEPTION to the Public is what matters in these Elections, and Quinn’s Campaign has boldly seized and defined the Agenda of this Race from the Get-Go and his Declaration of Victory last Tuesday night. He may still be slightly trailing in the Polls, but most everything in the past week has broken bad for Rauner, excelling the Governor right back into this thing.
And his dizzied, overly rich opponent is just coming up for air now.
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 5:50 pm
I know this is really late but I have to comment on “No limos or black SUVs for him”. Sorry but that’s not true.
I work at JRTC and I’ve see Quinn come and go many times in the five years he’s been governor. He arrives and departs in a limo- not a stretch limo but a limo nonetheless. I’ve shaken hands with him through the window of his limo. So don’t tell me there’s no limo for PQ.
He may indeed drive himself sometimes. I have no knowledge on that. But to and from work it’s strictly a limo for him.
Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 7:33 pm
DuPage Dave, I’m hardly a PQ fan but fair is fair. PQ is driven in unmarked cop cars. That ain’t no limo.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Mar 24, 14 @ 9:30 pm
Listen, the minimum wage ‘quip’ is always a shot in the foot because if you support it you drive away business not interested in putting up with it and end up damaging the economy and if you’re against it you look like an uncaring rich A-hole who doesn’t understand the needs of the poor despite understanding even the most basic concepts of supply and demand for labor.
Just because a person has money doesn’t mean that they’re a bad person like we love to paint them these days. What you earn is not indicative of who you are.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Mar 25, 14 @ 11:19 am