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* I explained this to subscribers as a “smart move” several days ago…
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus had words of warning for Edgar County Republicans: Don’t expect to see gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner in downstate Illinois after Labor Day.
“He’s been all over southern and central Illinois,” Shimkus, the longtime congressman from Colinsville, told about 75 members of the GOP in Paris last week. “But we’re advising him that after he’s through with this massive swing (through 38 downstate counties after the Illinois State Fair), you know where he needs to be? He needs to be in the suburbs and he needs to be in Cook County to win this for us. […]
“We’ve got to campaign hard around Chicago,” [Rauner] said. “It’s critical. If we just take the mindset that Cook County is just, you know, another country, that allows Cook County to be consolidated under the machine. And it’s so big that Cook County runs the rest of the state. No more. No more. That ain’t right.” […]
“I don’t have a specific goal but I really want to do well” in Cook County, he said. “We’re already leading in the polls by a good margin in the Cook County suburbs. We’re losing in Chicago and I don’t think I can win in Chicago. That’s not going to happen. But I think I can do decently well in Chicago. I think the polls showed us at about 20 percent in Chicago. I think if we’re in the low 20s we’ll be good.”
Discuss.
…Adding… Rauner appeared via live video feed during Marion’s Ronald Reagan dinner…
Jim Patrick of Crainville was there too and he said the GOP is the party for him.
“The democrats platform is pro abortion, pro homosexual and has an anti-American tone in it,” he said. “I’m pro life and I won’t vote for anybody who is not pro life. I don’t care what they call themselves!”
Um, Rauner calls himself “pro-choice.”
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:05 pm
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I am in no way a Rauner supporter but I do have to give his campaign high grades. Basically dissing Southern Illinois for the rest of the stretch but pulling it off by telling it like it is.
Comment by Been There Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:09 pm
===“I don’t have a specific goal but I really want to do well” in Cook County, he said. “We’re already leading in the polls by a good margin in the Cook County suburbs. We’re losing in Chicago and I don’t think I can win in Chicago. That’s not going to happen. But I think I can do decently well in Chicago. I think the polls showed us at about 20 percent in Chicago. I think if we’re in the low 20s we’ll be good.”===
Wishing, thinking, hoping, guessing, polling…
That ain’t voting the “Pluses”.
If I were Rauner personally, and the Rauner Crew itself; pointing out how the polls are going reminds Dopes like me…you blew 17 points in a few short weeks, and had NO clue where you could count on “actual Pluses” on Primary Election Nite.
“You’ll be fine”
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:11 pm
Necessary, but it was good to do the bus tour. He saw more of Downstate the last few weeks than Quinn probably has in 5 years. Many of the places he went never get a candidate to show there.
Comment by Anonymoiis Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:11 pm
I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop? Was he in those clubs with Jack Ryan? Was he a co-owner of Scott Lee Cohen’s bailbonds business? Did he drive Tio’s getaway car? Can he be heard on the Blago tape uttering, “no, it is not f-ing golden, try platinum”! He is not perfect (no one is), but he sure is running a smart campaign.
Comment by Wumpus Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:18 pm
=If I were Rauner personally, and the Rauner Crew itself; pointing out how the polls are going reminds Dopes like me…you blew 17 points in a few short weeks, and had NO clue where you could count on “actual Pluses” on Primary Election Nite=
Rauner and the “Crew” have been working harder and smarter than any Gubernatorial candidate in decades. You got one thing correct in your comments, Oswego- “dopes like me”.
Bruce and “crew” just remember most of the voters aren’t self-described “dopes” like Oswego Willy.
Comment by Apocalypse Now Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:28 pm
I think the Rauner crew is loading the heavy artillery for release in the next week. I think the R’s are very energized this election cycle. VERY!!
Comment by Wally Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:34 pm
==The democrats platform is pro abortion, pro homosexual and has an anti-American tone in it==
I wouldn’t hire this guy as the Republican party spokesperson. It’s unfortunate you get this kind of rhetoric from people. Here’s a tip: it makes your party look bad.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:34 pm
“I’m pro life and I won’t vote for anybody who is not pro life. I don’t care what they call themselves!”
Maybe a pro-Quinn PAC should take a page out of the Claire McCaskill playbook and start running “Rauner isn’t conservative enough…look over there…he’s pro-choice!” ads in Southern Illinois. It may suppress Rauner turnout in that region.
Comment by Sqround Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:35 pm
- Apocalypse Now -,
That was 17 points they blew. 17.
“Call me Maybe?” Made “millions” of calls, no GOTV.
The goal is to ID them, then vote them, not…
Hope, Think, Believe, Poll, “Looks like”…
The more Dopey they sound describing a goal-less idea of Cook numbers or Chicago “Pluses”, the more it reminds me how Quinn, and Cosgrove, and the Unions… how they beat Brady.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:36 pm
I said for years afterwards that that this is what Brady should have been doing. Exactly right.
Comment by liandro Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:38 pm
once you get past the grit line(where grits are on every menu) you can`t wait to get home
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:43 pm
=the more it reminds me how Quinn, and Cosgrove, and the Unions… how they beat Brady. =
Brady was a staunch social conservative that alienated thousands of voters in the suburbs, especially women. Brady was a comfortable elected official in a safe district and ran a comfortable campaign, thinking he could ride the wave to victory. Not this time. Quinn was viewed, as a nice competent honest official. Not this time. =I think the polls showed us at about 20 percent in Chicago. I think if we’re in the low 20s we’ll be good.”= Sounds like a goal to me.
Comment by Apocalypse Now Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:45 pm
Capt Fax
we think you missed the funniest part of the Kacich coverage of Mitt’s Edgar County oration
“As the rest of the crowd applauded enthusiastically, I watched Rose. I’d characterize his applause as polite.
Term limits is a big theme in Rauner’s campaign (”When I go there and I say, ‘Hey, I’m not taking a salary, I’m not taking a pension and I want term limits, everybody cheers. It’s the right answer,” he said).”
A surprisingly candid Kacich also recalls Shimkus was once robustly for term limits too — tee hee.
So was are guessing that just as soon as Mitt gets back to the campaign via Maine he will condemn LumpyRose and back his opponent
Later I asked Rose what he thought of Rauner’s position. He smiled and said, “I’ll get out if (House Speaker Michael Madigan) does, but I’m not going to do it unilaterally.”
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:45 pm
This is a smart move from Rauner. But a smart suggestion from Sqround in the comments for a pro-Quinn super PAC to run ads suggesting Rauner isn’t conservative enough ala Claire McCaskill in the GOP primary.
Comment by Lunchbox Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:49 pm
What I find interesting is that Brady spent so much time downstate in 2010 in part because he felt comfortable downstate. In 2014, Rauner does not feel comfortable downstate, and needed Shimkus’ quote to let him off the hook. Anybody who thinks Governor Rauner will be spending significant time south of Springfield is kidding themselves.
This was Rauner’s “goodnight and goodluck” sign-off. I highly doubt Rauner will ever set foot in Edgar County again, even if he wins.
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 12:50 pm
===Brady was a staunch social conservative that alienated thousands of voters in the suburbs, especially women. Brady was a comfortable elected official in a safe district and ran a comfortable campaign, thinking he could ride the wave to victory.===
Yeah, see, Rauner likes Democrats and Indies, and only “hopes” that conservatives come back to him.
The Rauner Cake is based on moderate Republicans, Indies, and Conservative Democrats.
The Diana Rauner Ad is running again in high circulation.
Why bring this up?
Where is the recognized “base” to build a GOTV?
There is no infrastructure anywhere where the Cake being baked for a GOP Nominee is based on Indies and Dems as the foundation to move outward. You alienate conservatives at a clip you “think” you can get back through Dems and Indies defeats the idea of any type of GOP Base being centric.
It’s like building a million dollar car, and finding out Unleaded gas won’t run it, and the mix of hybrid fuel won’t get you to the finish line of the race; just not enough hybrid fuel.
The Unions, they will go full out against Rauner, even more than Brady faced, and Quinn’s Base, Democratically centric, can find their way home, while Rauner’s Crew “thinks” conservatives will…come home.
Haven’t even talked about GOTV in the ground on Election Day…in Chicago…in Cook…
Rauner spends more time trying to find the moving sweet spot of an undefined base, thinking voters with my history will just back him, when in reality, under voters and getting a GOP Base out, period, is a scary reality, while courting those Dems.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 1:08 pm
47th, Rauner will be in Springfield this week. He has been in Central IL quite a bit. But, he realizes he has to do well in Cook. It is a smart and necessary strategy.
And, BR appears to be very comfortable when downstate.
Comment by Wally Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 1:17 pm
“Um, nevermind,” said Jim Patrick of Crainville.
Comment by Knome Sane Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 1:20 pm
It is interesting that you chose to quote Mr. Patrick. Although a longtime member of the County GOP organization he is the best friend the local Dems have ever had. A blowhard know-it-all with no credibility. Quinn would do well to pay Mr. Patrick to go up to Cook County and campaign for Rauner…just sayin’
Comment by WeKnowHim Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 1:34 pm
What Rauner’s doing isn’t “genius”, it’s just what you’d expect from professional campaign management. Rauner needs to get close to a majority in suburban Cook and at least 20% in Chicago. That’s doable, and he actually has a plan for obtaining that goal. He’s starting to get a very well organized GOTV organization in SW Cook. He’s putting in pay and money to get campaign “door-to-door” canvassers to get the people they need to contact on election day. He doesn’t have the public dollars to use for campaign workers through patronage like the Dems do, so that’s the only thing he can do.
I keep getting phone calls from his staff to help out in this, but it’s pretty tough to do from Az. If I were still an Illinis voter I’d be out there knocking on doors for GOP candidates, but I probably wouldn’t do it just for Rauner. I think the conservative base will turn out for him in November because the thought of empowering Quinn and his misfits once again is hateful to them, and they know every vote is needed this time around to expel the barbarians.
Don’t underestimate the ability of Rauner to get African American votes. He won’t get public workers or people on welfare, but there’s enough other practical AAs that he can reach to make a difference.
When I ran for the GA a few years ago, I worked the polling places, and quite a few AAs said they voted for me after they left. My pitch was that they could have me trying to keep their taxes low and get resources more effectively to their kids education and empower THEM to best decide how their children’s education resources can be used, or they could vote for a Madigan stooge who’d keep things the way they are.
African American voters CAN be reached by these conservative approaches if you can avoid the stereotypes. I think Rauner can do that, and a lot of Mt Greenwood types may be just tired enough of Quinn to give him their vote as well.
Comment by Arizona Bob Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 1:41 pm
““I’m pro life and I won’t vote for anybody who is not pro life…”
In an ad on TV the other day Mrs. Rauner said that her husband does not have a social agenda, only an agenda on financial and educational issues. Is Jim Patrick thus saying that he will not vote for Rauner?
Comment by Hit or Miss Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 1:51 pm
== “I’m pro life and I won’t vote for anybody who is not pro life.” ==
Yet the yokel plans to vote for an openly pro-choice Republican who won’t say where he stands on marriage equality. When Republicans disparage “low-information” voters, I bet they don’t have this character in mind.
Comment by Anon Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 1:51 pm
Jim Patrick used to work for me back in the day. Commenters are being entirely too kind.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 2:00 pm
Did we just see an example of a low-information voter here?
Comment by Levois Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 2:02 pm
You never want to take anything for granted but I would say that you can be reasonably assured that Rauner will do at least as well as Brady did downstate, and probably a little better. I think this it is incredibly smart to go north and focus exclusively on the Chicago area from here on out.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 2:03 pm
Patrick is no low info voter:
http://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/ContributionsSearchByAllContributions.aspx?ddlContributionType=All+Types&ddlLastOnlyNameSearchType=Starts+with&txtLastOnlyName=Patrick&ddlFirstNameSearchType=Starts+with&txtFirstName=J&ddlAddressSearchType=Starts+with&txtAddress=&ddlCitySearchType=Starts+with&txtCity=Carterville&ddlState=&txtZip=&txtZipThru=&ddlOccupationSearchType=Starts+with&txtOccupation=&ddlEmployerSearchType=Starts+with&txtEmployer=&txtAmount=&txtAmountThru=&txtRcvDate=&txtRcvDateThru=&ddlOrderBy=Last+or+Only+Name+-+A+to+Z&ddlVendorLastOnlyName=Starts+with&txtVendorLastOnlyName=&ddlVendorFirstName=Starts+with&txtVendorFirstName=&ddlVendorAddress=Starts+with&txtVendorAddress=&ddlVendorCity=Starts+with&txtVendorCity=&ddlVendorState=&txtVendorZip=&txtVendorZipThru=&ddlPurpose=Starts+with&txtPurpose=
Comment by Southern Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 2:56 pm
==Patrick is no low info voter==
Maybe, but not of the three he supported won their election.
Comment by Nearly Normal Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 3:28 pm
Patrick may not be low info, but’s low braino.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 3:56 pm
when you campaign upstate Mr. Rauner, you will be reminded that your Lt. Gov. is rabidly anti choice. Cook County does not like that.
Comment by Amalia Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 4:27 pm
word, he was the building engineer at the state office building in Marion. It’s a wonder that the boiler didn’t go through the roof during his tenure.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 4:44 pm
Smart politics by Rauner.
He needs to do exactly what he is doing.
He is going in for a win.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Aug 25, 14 @ 7:01 pm
So, Cook County is another country, huh, Mr. Rauner?
Comment by jerry 101 Tuesday, Aug 26, 14 @ 8:12 am