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Griffin explains why he backs Rauner and Emanuel

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* Ken Griffin briefly attended a Chicago ceremony today with Mayor Emanuel to honor the state’s wealthiest man for contributing $12 million to create two separate bike and pedestrian paths on the city’s lakefront

But coaxed back to the microphone to explain his ongoing support for two men who, on the surface, at least, are political foes, Griffin said he saw no contradiction between backing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrat Emanuel.

“I’m a proud supporter of the governor and I’m a proud supporter of our mayor — two great men,” he said. “They don’t always agree, but we need great leaders to get through the problems that we face as a state.” […]

“I’d hope that these two great men would find common ground to keep Chicago at the forefront of our country and to meet the needs of our citizens,” he said before bolting again, this time for good. […]

“Ken and I don’t agree about a lot of things on policy,” [Mayor Emanuel said]. “But we do agree that public service is important, leadership is important, that Chicago is the crown jewel of the state of Illinois, and what we are doing today is investing in the city of Chicago so people can enjoy it.”

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 1:55 pm

Comments

  1. I am a puppeteer. I love all my puppets.

    Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 1:57 pm

  2. That really explained a lot

    Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:09 pm

  3. Griffin could’ve cut through all that BS and just said “Because they’re filthy rich like me!”

    Comment by Cubs in '16 Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:10 pm

  4. Griffin…

    “Because when I pick up the phone, they do what I say, how I say, and when I want it done”

    Kinda, lol

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:12 pm

  5. Kajillionaire sees no gap between Rauner and Emanuel…you’re kidding.

    Comment by Signal and Noise Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:13 pm

  6. “Rahm and I had a chat. He promised that if I donated a bunch of cash he would only flip me off with his half-middle finger instead of the full one.”

    Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:14 pm

  7. -Cubs in 16-

    If Rauner and Griffen woke up with Rahms money they would jump off a building.

    Comment by Come on Man! Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:15 pm

  8. -Come on Man!-

    I know. But to a working slob like me anyone above a certain wealth level is “filthy rich”.

    Comment by Cubs in '16 Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:25 pm

  9. The crown jewel of Illinois? Billions in debt. Public school system in shambles. Murder rate? Must be one of them jewels Out of CrackerJacks.

    Comment by blue dog dem Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:27 pm

  10. $12 million for a bike path is a small price to pay to keep the financial transaction tax bottled up. I guess I’m a hippie or something now but I kinda think government should pay for this kind of thing by taxing people like Kenny G not pretending he’s being magnanimous.

    Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:30 pm

  11. Both the Governor and the Mayor are trying to attract business to Illinois and Chicago.

    Wish the Speaker and Senate President and the rest of the Democrats in this state made an effort to do the same

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:33 pm

  12. Liz - you leave our national treasure Kenny G the Saxophonist out of this! :)

    Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:35 pm

  13. Because Ken, Bruce and Rahm all want to destroy the middle class.

    Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:42 pm

  14. Simple case of Pay-To-Play. Oh, and they’re all old wine club buddies.

    Comment by GOP Extremist Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:43 pm

  15. ==Griffin said he saw no contradiction between backing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrat Emanuel.==

    Me either.

    Comment by crazybleedingheart Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:44 pm

  16. =Both the Governor and the Mayor are trying to attract business to Illinois and Chicago.=

    Heckuva job guys

    Comment by Carhartt Representative Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:50 pm

  17. Yesterday was the story about the closing homeless shelter and today we have $12 Million for, not a new path, but to separate bike and pedestrian traffic on an existing path. The Trib story doesn’t give any details if the $12 Million will cover all of the costs or just a portion with the city/state picking up the rest, but aren’t there some more priority funding needs in Chicago?

    Comment by Jon Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 2:59 pm

  18. Chicago is the crown jewel. Wow! Just wow!

    Comment by Proud Deplorable Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:00 pm

  19. I like oysters. I like clams. What of it?

    Comment by A guy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:01 pm

  20. LizPhairTax:

    The billionaires of the world are not the only people that will be effected by a Financial Transaction Tax. Public/Private pension funds get hit as well on every investment transaction they initiate. The CME Group leaves for New York the next day leaving a large hole in the States revenue base and the jobs the Group creates.

    Comment by Suburban Hillbilly Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:03 pm

  21. == Heckuva job guys ==

    Actually, Chicago is doing a decent job. Unfortunately, a lot of those jobs are just moving from the suburbs to downtown.

    Comment by NAN Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:05 pm

  22. Suburban Hillbilly,

    I see your point but it is a discussion worth having, don’t you think?

    NYC the next day? Sounds kind of improbable to me. I doubt Citadel, et al work so hard against it because they’re concerned about how it will affect pensions.

    Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:14 pm

  23. Jon - that is a great question. It reminds me of this Onion article from August. Rich may not like the content but the link is okay. :)

    http://www.theonion.com/article/rahm-emanuel-concerned-gun-violence-could-spread-p-54016

    Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:17 pm

  24. Griffin donated the $12 million because he needed the tax deduction write off. Not because of any altruistic feelings he has towards the city.

    Comment by Huh? Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:22 pm

  25. http://fortune.com/2016/09/15/business-chicago/

    http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/corporate-headquarters-matter/

    Rahm is doing a great job attracting business to Chicago. Bike paths are precisely the kind of amenity that young millennials are looking for in a city and is smart to separate the bikers from the runners.

    What makes anyone think the CME would stay here if Chicago implemented the only financial transaction tax in the world? They would leave in a heartbeat and taking billions of dollars with them.

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:31 pm

  26. Yes. Lucky Pierre. Of course they would. Jimmy John would help them move. Are there old millennials?

    Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:50 pm

  27. Yes an old millennial would be more like mid 30’s as opposed to right out of college smarty

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 3:54 pm

  28. Lucky P, the interwikitubes say that 40 countries have some form of FTT. Perhaps you meant only one in the country?

    Comment by Tron Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 4:01 pm

  29. http://www.cmegroup.com/education/financial-transaction-tax-myths-vs-facts.html

    I don’t believe there are any transaction taxes on derivatives markets in the world.

    Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 4:13 pm

  30. The two separate trails are but an analogy of the Rahm and the Rauner, Little Grasshopper ;)

    Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 5:38 pm

  31. –What makes anyone think the CME would stay here if Chicago implemented the only financial transaction tax in the world–

    You really don’t have any hesitation to yammer on about things you demonstrate that you obviously know nothing about.

    Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 6:00 pm

  32. The whole “CME will leave” was a joke back during the Great Shakedown in the Great Recession. Geez, that one still gets the blood pressure going…

    Where would they go? Low-tax, low-cost of living NYC, DC, LA or the Bay Area? For fractions of pennies you lay off on the trading parties?

    Those are the only places in the country that have the pipes Chicago does, and the pipes are everything, when microseconds count.

    That’s why traders still come down to LaSalle Street, even though the pits are dark, proximity to the pipes.

    Plus, the booze, blow and strange…..

    Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 6:12 pm

  33. =You really don’t have any hesitation to yammer on about things you demonstrate that you obviously know nothing about.=

    Millennial bonafides from a 35 year old republican apologist

    Comment by LizPhairTax Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 6:59 pm

  34. I noticed there was no way a transaction tax would pass even through a Democrat city council or General Assembly.

    The reason it did not is because the customers of the CME would take their business to the every other exchange around the world who don’t tax transactions

    Not a difficult concept to understand

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 7:53 pm

  35. ===…Democrat city council or General Assembly.===

    “Democrat”

    That’s adorbs…

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 8:00 pm

  36. Are you in your safe space OW? Hope you weren’t offended by a capital D

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 8:06 pm

  37. - Lucky Pierre -

    Your “Democrat” dog whistle is adorbs is all.

    lol

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 8:08 pm

  38. Only “Republican” in America who is offended by non-existant dog whistles designed to often Democrats.

    I phone auto corrects to that so take it up with them. Apple management are not Republicans

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 8:24 pm

  39. When Republicans refuse to use “Democratic” and choose to use “Democrat” (Democrat City Council), we Republicans look ignorant.

    I’m tired of the dog whistle ignorance.

    It’s a Kass-like dog whistle simpleton way instead of making a point on the subject.

    It reflects badly on Republicans, like me, who understand this dog whistle adds nothing.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 8:29 pm

  40. Lessons in Civility from Professor OW, dog whistling the Republican pro Madigan anti Rauner perspective on state government to all Cap Fax readers 24/7.

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 9:06 pm

  41. I’m a Republican, not a Raunerite.

    There’s a huge difference. Rauner explains it daily.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 9:26 pm

  42. You might want to defend the Republicans in the GA from time to time instead of being the Speaker’s biggest defender,

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 9:28 pm

  43. LP, agree.
    ===You might want to defend the Republicans in the GA from time to time instead of being the Speaker’s biggest defender,===

    OW is not a Republican.

    Comment by justacitizen Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 9:53 pm

  44. I’m with Jim Edgar.

    Raunerites that infest the GA have now infiltrated the GOP.

    Keep up, please.

    Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 10:04 pm

  45. Author of the Edgar ramp, spend today tax tomorrow. Incredibly popular among those who benefit from the spending, future generations feel differently.

    Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 11:22 pm

  46. Please. It is the season. No more Edgar references.

    Comment by blue dog dem Wednesday, Dec 21, 16 @ 11:46 pm

  47. Hmmmm…… carried-interest loophole minus $12 million.
    Close the loophole and we won’t need his “charity.”

    Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Thursday, Dec 22, 16 @ 1:02 am

  48. Of course Chicago is the crown jewel of Illinois. The state without it would be like West Virginia. Have you folks traveled at all? Rockford? Springfield? Rock Island? East St. Louis? Cairo? LOL!

    Comment by Ron Thursday, Dec 22, 16 @ 7:52 am

  49. $12 million for bike paths. Disgraceful. Tone deaf. Obscene. And that includes emanual for PR’ing this with homeless & gun violence. But a clear idea of what & how Billionaires think. How very sad for IL and America the Plutarchy.

    Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 22, 16 @ 10:04 am

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