68 Comments - Ray del Camino - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:15 am: Because we got beat up in middle school by guys like him? - Anyone Remember? - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:21 am: His statement (video on this website) that he’d “break” AFSCME contracts. - Priceless! - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:22 am: Rich - the real 1%, a corrupter, arrogant, duplicitous, panderer, non-trustworthy, self-serving, on and on and on. Of course, he can use his $$$ to re-brand himself at any time to reach his personal agenda while by pandering to his audience - the blind GOP primary voter will be able see through his charade. - wordslinger - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:24 am: Speaking for myself, he brings phoniness and hypocrisy to a new level. He made a fortune off public pension funds, but now denigrates those for whom the funds are intended as greedy. He claims to be an outsider, anti-politician, but is the ultimate insider who dropped millions on politicians to influence their actions for his own benefit. He demonizes the Chicago Public School system, yet spent a bundle and used his insider influence to get his kid into one after she had been rejected. He also wants to cash in on public school money with more charter schools for his wired cronies. He’s North Shore Ivy League but pretends he’s just a regular old farm boy. He claims he’s a tough guy who will get things done, but he ducks the tough issues and just trots out superficial talking points. I don’t trust a guy who pretends to be everything that he is not. I find the act insulting, even on the politician level. - Wensicia - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:25 am: His smug superiority and the belief he can buy his way into the governor’s office. - Anonymour - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:27 am: What Word said. It’s the combination of intense phoniness with thoroughgoing hypocrisy. - too obvious - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:29 am: Simple. The arrogance of the guy waking up one day and deciding he wants to be governor. Exacerbated by fact his whole shtick is “pensions are too expensive” after having gotten ridiculously rich from ridiculously high fees charged to state pension funds. Everyone knows Rauner won’t make it through the primary. But let’s face it, most are staying quiet because they don’t want to scare off the mark before he’s fully milked. This could be the script for The Sting 3. By the way, what’s the scoop on Rauner’s running mate? Why still no announcement? Trouble in paradise? - Ron Burgundy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:29 am: Because we’ve seen this act before. Rich guy who thinks he knows better and wants to start at the top. He’s too important to start in the proverbial mailroom, he has to start in the executive suite. Doesn’t really stand for anything, or at least won’t tell us what he stands for. Seems to carry a disdain for the “little people,” but goes out of his way to try to act like them and do stuff they do, like hunt and ride motorcycles. Thinks because he made money in business he can charge in to state government and run it like a CEO and everything will be fine. Also, from the partisan angle, seems so wishy-washy on issues and his associations that he could run from either party, whichever represents the easier path to his ultimate goal. The commenters on this board are seasoned government and political observers, and we can smell a phony a mile away. Of course, he would just say we’re the problem, the entrenched interests that he is out to save Illinois from. - MrGrassroots - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:33 am: The dream race is Bruce Rauner versus Pat Quinn. I think Quinn wins that race because of third parties coming into the race out of fear that Rauner is not out for their interests. On the hand, I have said it before, Kirk Dillard versus Pat Quinn spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E for Quinn. - Obamas Puppy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:34 am: Lets see he is a hypocrite, a liar, and arrogant. He is like the popular football player from the great family who had no brain, no skill, and no clue but everyone had to pay attention to because of his cash. To demonize public employees,teachers, and professors by wanting to not only take away their pensions but privatize these public institutions so he and his buddies can make another billion should repulse anyone with a brain. - Small Town Liberal - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:35 am: He presumes to be the smartest guy in the room about Illinois politics, and everybody knows that nobody presumes to be the smartest guys in the room about Illinois politics better than capfax commenters. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:37 am: (Grabs ‘Plummer Meds’, lights candles, closes blinds, plays “Kenny G’s Greatest Hits’ on the iStation, closes eyes, breaths in deeply, IV begins to flow ‘Plummer Meds’…) Why … Bruce Rauner portrays himself as the worst kind of politician, but that is not bad enough, the duality of blaiming politicians for being politicians, and Bruce Rauner’s complete self-awareness of being a complete hypocrite of what he rails on with politicians, while “gaming” the system for his company, (contracts, business), him personally (when the company makes money, Rauner makes money), and his family (DENIED Winnetka living Daughter clouted into Chicago School). Company. You can not rail on pensions, and unions, and schools, when your business is to make money off … pensions, unions, and schools, and sometimes in complete contrast to your posiition. There is no credibility that can be given when the tv ads you run railing on all the “bad” is paid for by monies made off what you are railing on. Personally. Bruce Rauner would rather throw his wife under the bus than just admit, plainly and simply, Bruce Rauner donated to Rahm to Rendell and to Rich Daley. Bruce Rauner also does not get a “pass” by saying, and to paraphrase, “that is how you do business”, when you are going to “shake up” things Bruce Rauner, personally makes money off of, or uses personally to profit for himself or for his companies, and have the lamest of apologies be that its his wife doing the donating, or “that is how business is done” and be seen as a cridible person, and a person you want leading your state. Family. Bruce Rauner says “advocating” for a Denied Daughter should be fine, and calls it political nonsense. How many are going to buy a Condo, call Arne Duncan direct, and then claim that the Condo was to be for proximity to work, and to help the Daughter, but then, after it was expsed by Greg Hinz, “magically” change the voting address “to keep everything in line”, when in fact, the address, the condo, the Clouting is done, so why bother? the Family angle has irony, as the DENIED Daughter denied a seat from a Worty Chicago living child. A child, whose family could use a “break”, a family whose child was worthy academically, but was left to rot on a waiting list, because the Mom who works 2 jobs, or the Dad who hasn’t had a night off working in years, they do not have Arne Duncan’s private line to deny Bruce Rauner’s Denied New Trier district the opportuinity to take an opportunity away from her, and her family. Add to the railing on the Chicago Teachers Union, and the Denied Daughter being taught by Chicago teachers, and the idea the Rauner Prep stands in complete contrast as Rauner had decided his Daughter and Family should live their lives, outside Chicago, yet making it clear to all how Bruce Rauner sees others to live and learn, and not doing anything resembling waht Rauner expects from everyone else. “Why do you think he rubs people the wrong way here?” All the above I posted is then wrapped in a caricature of a Man, who believes he can fool us all with Carhartt Coats and empty commercials. Bruce Rauner then can’t explain how his governing would work, while talking about referrendum and shutting down government. All and all, Bruce Rauner is beyond mockable in his hypocricy, it makes those upset that someone so “accomplished” thinks so little of the people of Illinois, and the voters especially, that what Bruce Rauner stands for flies directly in the face of what Bruce Rauner wants us all to believe about Bruce Rauner, and we should suck it up, and accept Bruce Rauner’s interpretation of him, no matter how the facts seem to counter it. My ‘Plummer Meds’ need changing, so I will leave it here for now. I hope someone can ask Bruce Rauner two quesitons sometime; Have you no shame to how you portray yourself? How do you sleep at night, knowing you personally denied a child a chance at something greater? One thing is for certain, every day is going to get harder for Bruce Rauner, not easier. - bored now - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:39 am: polarizing politicians are good for your business. newspapers learned that 120 years ago… - Demoralized - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:41 am: For me it’s because he’s clueless about government. Anytime a person says government should operate like a business I stop listening to them. I think he’s arrogant and smug also. - VanillaMan - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:43 am: He’s smarter than you, He’s richer than you, He’s willing to end politics as we know it in Illinois, He’s not a Democrat. After blogging here for years, I’ve read more positive comments about our jailed Democrats than I’ve ever read about any Republican. - corvax - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:44 am: I’m sold! this dem is pulling a republican ballot in the primary. - Former Merit Comp Slave - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:45 am: Because he is the epitome of everything wrong with this state. It continues to amaze me that anyone who makes less than a million annually would vote for this person, especially anyone who has worked for and earned a pension - Chavez-respecting Obamist - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:45 am: It’s the hypocrisy compounded with his complete lack of knowing anything about government. - wordslinger - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:54 am: –After blogging here for years, I’ve read more positive comments about our jailed Democrats than I’ve ever read about any Republican.– For example? - walkinfool - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:54 am: VMan: a little selective memory perhaps? a lot of big fans of JBT here. positive comments for many other GOPers on this blog over time On my part, I am still waiting for Rauner’s talents to become apparent. I was very hopeful two months ago, but am less so now. His political-speak so far has been deplorable — but much of that might just be for the funding base and the primary participants. I am cynical enough to discount some of that. - Pot calling kettle - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:55 am: Because he talks like a “drive-by” commenter. And nobody gets more grief on this blog than a drive-by commenter who does not understand (or does not wish to understand) the complexity of the issues at hand. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:58 am: - VanillaMan - You were “here” during Blago…right? Further, If he is “all” that better than all of us, shouldn’t Bruce Rauner be “better” that what we expect, or what he pretends to NOT be? - Grandson of Man - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 9:58 am: What wordslinger said, and because he said he wants to weaken unions. That’s exactly what Illinois needs, more trickle-down economics and race to the bottom stuff. The weak economy and income disparity are living proof that trickle-down economics needs to be dumped in the trashcan of history. We need to bolster the bottom, not give more breaks to the top. “He’s willing to end politics in Illinois as we know it.” Yeah, sure. Maybe he will try to find a way to circumvent the constitution, like he wants to circumvent Illinois labor law. - OneMan - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:01 am: Well, I think it starts with the way folks here generally respond to most Rich Guy(tm) candidates. Be it Oberweis, Rauner, McKenna etc. I suspect many politically active folks feel the rich guys who run for a major office really haven’t paid their dues so to speak. They are trying to start near the top.. They haven’t come to your Lincoln Day or Truman day dinner for 5 years. You haven’t gotten a chance to talk to them before they announced they are running. You don’t know a guy who worked on one of their previous campaigns. Secondly, in Bruce’s, Daley’s and Oberweis’ cases they made their money in the world of finance. Lots of folks even pre-crash didn’t care for folks who work in finance. Lots of reasons for that, not going to go into too much depth on that. But I can say from personal experience, everyone assumes the firm you worked for was the one that caused the crash and you took federal money. Not a complaint, not feeling persecuted but it is what it is. Third, Bruce’s comments specifically about government pensions has not made him any friends with those who are in those systems. If someone has an issue with him for that, can’t fault them in any way shape or form. Totally understand that. Lets not kid ourselves, lots of folks here are participants in those plans. Finally, I think that some people in government (again there are folks here who work in government) who are suspicious of folks from outside of government who talk about running government like a business. - Orville Hodge Podge - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:04 am: Because a good chunk of the commentors here are Democrats, state workers and others whose livelihood depends on state government. Rauner is an existential threat to their way of life like no other GOP candidate for Gov we have ever had. - heet101 - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:04 am: Small Town Liberal @ 9:35 AM - Hahaha! Awesome. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:07 am: ===Because a good chunk of the commentors here are Democrats, state workers and others whose livelihood depends on state government.=== Couple of points; You base the ‘majority’ of commenters being Democrats on what? What makes you think a majority are Democrats? As to the rest of why you think as you do, are you saying then the “silent majority in Illinois” see Rauner as a “Beacon of Hope” against the commenters here, wanting to drag Illinois down? And you base all that on what? - Demoralized - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:10 am: @VMan and @Orville: I could care less if Rauner was a Democrat or a Republican. That has absolutely nothing to do with my dislike of the guy’s stances on things. Can we please try to avoid this partisan garbage. Go campaign for somebody if you want to do that. - foster brooks - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:15 am: He only has one message and that is the Union boss’s run this state. Please get real dude - OneMan - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:15 am: Because he talks like a “drive-by” commenter. And nobody gets more grief on this blog than a drive-by commenter who does not understand (or does not wish to understand) the complexity of the issues at hand. Vs a current Governor who rambles and rambles and uses enough personal catch-phrases that you could make a drinking game out of it? Is your complaint that a guy running for office isn’t offering enough depth in his answers? Does any candidate running offer enough depth in their answers? I remember seeing live Sheila Simon dance around the legislative pay veto. Also Seems to carry a disdain for the “little people,” but goes out of his way to try to act like them and do stuff they do, like hunt and ride motorcycles. I guess I can see how the pension stuff might give you the idea he has disdain for “little people”, but you know it is in fact possible a rich guy likes to ride his motorcycle (hell Malcom Forbes was kind of known for it). Having worked for a couple of rich guys in my life, they do in fact have normal interests and can even live kind of normal lives. Again Bruce isn’t my guy in this race and I would get if you don’t like him for his positions on issues, but the response he elicits cracks me up… - Jake From Elwood - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:15 am: To me, Rauner desperately desires to appear to be a commoner. He wears his Carhartt jackets to the yacht club and drinks Dom Perignon out of a red solo cup. I understand the concept of fashioning a campaign image, but this is ridiculous. Don’t hide who you are. - Ron Burgundy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:22 am: — I could care less if Rauner was a Democrat or a Republican. — I get the feeling Rauner could care less too. That’s part of the problem. - kerfuffle - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:22 am: Politics in Illinois requires the art of compromise - a willingness to bring all parties together- in order to be successful. I just don’t see him playing well with others. THe last true political “outsider” we had was Walker and that didn’t work out so well. - Secret Square - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:24 am: “The dream race is Bruce Rauner versus Pat Quinn” Actually, I would consider that a nightmare race and could not bring myself to vote for either candidate if it came to that. Can’t stand Quinn because he is, in my opinion, dangerously incompetent and turning into exactly the kind of pol he used to despise; can’t stand Rauner for all the reasons listed above (and I consider myself conservative). - 47th Ward - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:31 am: ===Why do you think he rubs people the wrong way here?=== I think Wordslinger and OW covered the main points, but I’ll add my own: Some of us who comment here have spent 10, 20, even 30 years working in and around Illinois government. Some of us are staff, some reporters, some lobbyists, some have done more than one of these jobs. Government is our profession, and it is a noble one. Rauner’s main contribution over this period was getting filthy rich, in part by cozying up to politicians to win investments from public pension funds. He gamed the system to enrich himself, but as far as public service, his only contribution prior to last year was showing up on D-2 forms every quarter. Now he wants to be Governor? There are several commenters here I would trust as governor more than Bruce Rauner. They’ve forgotten more about Illinois government and history than Rauner will ever learn and they sure as heck care more about making Illinois a better state. Bruce Rauner is a political fraud and, if he somehow manages to win, will be exposed in short order. - Ron Burgundy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:35 am: OneMan: Whether those are his actual interests or not, you don’t think dragging the motorcycle out for parades and appearances, and that hunting photo on twitter were staged? If he’s actually into those things, fine, but hitting people over the head with it seems, fake, ham-handed and desperate. Surprised he missed the opportunity to get his picture taken in a stock car recently in Joliet at the rate he is going… - OneMan - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:35 am: To me, Rauner desperately desires to appear to be a commoner. He wears his Carhartt jackets to the yacht club and drinks Dom Perignon out of a red solo cup. Wow… Having been to two of the biggest yacht clubs in Chicago multiple times (I used to sailboat race) I hate to break it to you the folks there are not wearing fir coats, in general they look and dress like normal folks. I mean seriously folks, do you think the wealthy live and act like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons? - GC - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:42 am: I think he rubs some here the wrong way because he is a real threat to the political status quo. I agree that this blog has some astute political observers, and I think that is because many of them are heavily invested in the current status quo. Whack jobs like Oberweis take many of the same positions as Rauner, but since Oberweis doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance of having a real impact on the status quo, Oberweis does not get the heated attacks. Rauner, on the other hand, does stand a real chance, thus the vitriol. - olddog - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:44 am: Everything Word, OW and Ron Burgandy said. The lack of integrity Rauner has demonstrated on education issues is especially troubling. Plus … and I hope I’m wrong about this … ever since his first paid media went up, I’ve had a bad feeling that given the current political climate, he just might actually win this thing. That scares me. - Nearly Normal - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:49 am: One Man– I sure hope nobody wears a “fir” coat. Those needles can be pretty scratchy! - wordslinger - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:50 am: –Having been to two of the biggest yacht clubs in Chicago multiple times (I used to sailboat race) I hate to break it to you the folks there are not wearing fir coat– I imagine a fir coat would be very uncomfortable…. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:53 am: ===I think he rubs some here the wrong way because he is a real threat to the political status quo.=== I think, no, I know why I have distain, and I listed it in a detailed way as to counter these Dopey ideas that any of us are afraid Payton Prep Clouter Bruce Rauner is a “threat to the status quo” and that is the reason Rauner rubs ME the wrong way. I only speak for me, and if you think for one second Rauner rubs me the wrong way because Rauner is a threat to the status quo, that is cilly; Rauner is, lives, clouts, bills, as part of the status quo. Rauner is the worst part of the status quo; Rauner lives, clouts, bills, as part of the staus quo, and then either blatently LIES he is not part of the problem, or is so oblivious or so un-self aware of who he, Bruce Rauner, is spouting, and wearing, and pictured hypocricy, and is ignorant to it all. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:54 am: As far as rich people, there are many wonderful wealthy people who agree that budget problems must be solved equitably, and they’re willing to pay a little more to help out. They get that the people most affected by cuts didn’t completely cause the problems, and they don’t want to dump the problems solely on their laps. These people don’t get much media coverage because they don’t make as much noise as the perpetually-squealing Trib editorial board and pro-business think tanks. A few or more CEO’s run successful corporations that compensate employees better. They don’t demonize unions. The Chicago Sun Times editorial board stridently advocates for pension reform, but the editorials sometimes go out of their way to not demonize workers and unions. When I read a Sun Times pension editorial, I don’t feel personally insulted. I get that we have a major debt problem, and that we have to contribute more. I feel that Eden Martin (formerly R. Eden Martin–really, who is he fooling?), Bruce Rauner and the rest have to rough up public employee unions to make their positions more palatable to the public. That is unnecessary. Rauner wants to do more than reform government. He wants to strip workers of their voices and bow before him and others like him. He wants to call all the shots. Sorry, we don’t grovel. We’ve been in this too long. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:55 am: ===I imagine a fir coat would be very uncomfortable….=== They make a heck of a Christmas Tree… - a drop in - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:56 am: – Oberweis does not get the heated attacks — Haven’t read the comments here lately? - wordslinger - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 10:57 am: ===I think he rubs some here the wrong way because he is a real threat to the political status quo.=== You can fool some of the people all of the time. - Jake From Elwood - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 11:02 am: OneMan, I am no fixture at yacht clubs and perhaps I should have chosen a better analogy to portray my opinion that Rauner is a wealthy elitist yearning to be seen as just another guy. That is all. - Nosmo King - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 11:16 am: Why? Because if he didn’t have money, he’d be nowhere. Without money, which makes him viable, he would not appeal to a single voter He would be a nobody and we wouldn’t be discussing him. - reformer - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 11:39 am: == a real threat to the status quo == A Gov. Brady wouldn’t make any serious changes? Or (the reinvented) Gov. Dillard? - Anonymous - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 11:43 am: Oneman Perhaps you know more than the rest of us & can enlighten us. Other than run Illinois like & business & all Illinois problems are caused by the unions, exactly what position has Rauner taken on any issue ? “Again Bruce isn’t my guy in this race and I would get if you don’t like him for his positions on issues” - AFSCME Steward - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 11:43 am: That last comment was me. - MrJM - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 11:47 am: “Why do you think he rubs people the wrong way here?” I think it may be his utter lack of redeeming qualities. With most candidates of either party, even though I disagree with them on the best policies, I can see that even the wrongest of them share many of my core values. I’m unaware of any of Bruce Rauner’s values beyond “the best interests of Bruce Rauner”. The same was true for Rod Blagojevich. – MrJM - Chris - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 11:59 am: Willy: “You base the ‘majority’ of commenters being Democrats on what? What makes you think a majority are Democrats?” You read that wrong. You just ignored the rest of the sentence. AND you inferred ‘majority’ when the phrase was “good chunk”. Are you seriously disputing that a “a good chunk of the commentors here” are ONE OR MORE OF (a) Democrats, (b) state workers and (c) others whose livelihood depends on state government? It is *obvious* that it’s a “good chunk”, as that is squishily meaningless. I wouldn’t have grounds to dispute that the *majority* fits one or more of those three, but perhaps you do, Willy. - My Thoughts For Whatever - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 12:06 pm: Because Rauner is from another planet and no matter how hard he tries to portray himself as an average “Joe” doesn’t really have ANY clue about real human beings! - Robert the Bruce - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 12:22 pm: The folks on cap fax generally understand how things get done, and how things don’t get done, in Springfield. So when any outsider runs and talks about how to get things done in Springfield (while wondering which Springfield exit to take off of I-55), cap fax commenters tend not to trust him. And when that person runs for the highest office, we really get skeptical of his message and annoyed with him. Plus, in Rauner’s case, he seems totally unaware / unwilling to admit to even himself how he has become even wealthier by gaming the political system. A third factor - a smaller one, and I’m probably giving Rauner too much credit here - is that, relative to the other republican candidates, Rauner has seemed to me to be more specific with his policy positions for what he’d do when he becomes governor. Yes, there are a lot of platitudes and not a lot of specificity, but compare his web site positions with that of other republican candidates. And the more positions you take in politics, the more you open yourself up to criticism. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 12:25 pm: - Chris - Apologies, so what are you saying about a “good chunk” of the commenters? This is a Illinois political/governmental blog. I think Rich could speak to his readership more than any of us, but given the context of what is presented, my question remains. As a state worker, all state workers, especially “here” are going to dislike a Rauner Campaign? I guees just a blanket over any/all those groups is a bit lazy. An easy drive-by that lists groups that may have an apparent unfavorable liking of Bruce Rauner. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 12:33 pm: ===As a state worker, all state workers, especially “here” are going to dislike a Rauner Campaign?=== Should be… A “state worker”, all “state workers”, retired “state workers” especially “here” are any going to like a Rauner Campaign? Stupid Edit/Correct - horse w/ no name - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 1:17 pm: I think capfax comments come from people who by and large understand the scope of the Illinois state government. They understand the history and the players and they grasp how large and diverse this state is and by it’s nature how difficult the political waters can be. So when someone like Rauner comes along and says things like “I may have to shut down the government for a while” or comments about breaking the contract with AFSCME, it shows a pretty blatant disregard for the actual realities of governing and leadership that Illinois so sorely needs. And for those that say all capfax commentors are state workers and that’s why they are so scared of the glorious revolution where public employees cease to exist that Rauner is bringing to Illinois. Just stop, please. That is the kind of ignorance that causes such a backlash. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 1:31 pm: “any going to like a Rauner Campaign?” After Rutherford’s recent comments about the income tax increase and pensions, some state workers might begin liking a Rutherford campaign. - Shore - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 1:32 pm: I’m not one of the more cordial commenters which is something I take responsibility for and try to improve, but I don’t really get the deal with Rauner. I’ve seen most of his tv stuff and what I’ve read, he’s just another feckless inarticulate moderate wealthy combine insider. We’ve seen this video before and it usually ends with a few nice words in a tribune endorsement a great great grandsons inheritance wasted on unmemorable tv ads and a prettier obituary in 30 years. Brady, Dillard, and Rutherford have been around for decades. It’s not like they haven’t had a shot to make their case to donors, party insiders, and county dinners. Yes Rauner has dough, but they’ve had decades head start-Rutherford was coordinating the reagan campaign when Rauner was at HBS. It’s not like they’re Adam A, a fresh face running without a shot. oy. - Publius - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 1:35 pm: I am a reader who is a Republican. There are many reasons for not liking Rauner, but my main objection is that I believe he is a phony. He knows that the real Rauner has little appeal, so his advisors have invented a guy to sell with the backing of a large bank-roll. What scares me is that this sometimes works. And the results are not pretty. Take a corporate executive, send him on a “walk” around the state….oh , and tie a red bandanai around his neck and what do you get? Dan Walker, one or the two worst governors in my life-time. It is not hard to create a winning candidate…it is very difficult to find a successful governor. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 1:53 pm: “What scares me is that this sometimes works.” Don’t be too afraid. It failed miserably for Romney. - Anonymous - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 2:02 pm: Wow one wrong vowel… Also for what it worth, I have been to both clubs during the time of year you would expect to see someone wearing a fur and don’t see a ton of them. - Hamilton - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 2:07 pm: Everything OW said, which can be summarized in one image: Rauner donning the barn jacket. - Mighty M. Mouse - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 2:11 pm: ===Why do you think he rubs people the wrong way here? === My impression of him is that he is arrogant and phony. But maybe that’s just me. - OldSmoky2 - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 3:08 pm: ===He’s willing to end politics as we know it in Illinois.=== Really? Let’s see, Rauner’s made millions off state government contracts, funded politicians in both parties to make sure he has influence either way, and used that influence to gain an unfair advantage for a family member. Yeah, no one’s ever heard of anything like that in Illinois. I can’t possibly understand why the folks who comment here don’t see him as the very embodiment of change. - wordslinger - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 3:18 pm: ===He’s willing to end politics as we know it in Illinois.=== Smoky, I suspect some of the folks peddling that stuff are on the payroll. Or have hit their heads very hard. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Sep 27, 13 @ 3:57 pm: Breaking news: Rauner just announced that he will do a statewide campaign tour. His spokesperson said that it will be called, “Drinking Beer with my Buddies.” “Candidate Rauner wants to show Illinois that by being an outsider, just like them, he truly understands the deep pain caused by union bosses and the Democrat Party, who have crippled the state,” the spokesperson added. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.