* So, does Bruce Rauner really believe in raising the minimum wage? Or is this just a position of convenience to allow him to escape the perils of his previous demands to cut the wage by a dollar an hour?
We may gain some further insight into Rauner’s thinking from this audio clip. Rauner appeared on Springfield-area tea party leader Fritz Pfister’s WMAY radio program in September. Have a listen…
* In case you can’t listen, here’s the exchange…
PFISTER: “Will raising the minimum wage actually help the people it’s intended to help, or will it harm them?”
RAUNER: “No, it’s a very bad idea, it’s a terrible idea.
“We’ve already got one of the highest unemployment rates in America, in fact the second highest of any state and far and away the worst unemployment rate in the Midwest.
“And raising the minimum wage will only devastate job opportunities for young people and lower income folks that need jobs first and foremost, rather than try to force businesses and interfere in pay scales that are competitive that allow businesses to thrive and hire people.”
He really needs to explain why he can now support raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour when he claimed it would “devastate” job opportunities and how he was previously so against “interfering” in pay scales. Yes, he says he wants to couple that hike with business-friendly law changes, but what, exactly does he want to do? And how realistic are his ideas?
* Meanwhile, a Tribune story cuts down Rauner’s attempt to explain away his position on lowering the minimum wage by saying it was just a “flippant” remark…
Though Rauner sought to indicate he was rushed in giving an inarticulate answer at the Quad Cities forum, Rauner and his three foes for the March 18 GOP nomination had been provided the questions in advance, according to an email sent to the campaigns by the event’s organizers.
Oops.
* Also, here is how the Quad City Times reported on that December candidates’ forum where Rauner said he wanted a cut in the minimum wage…
The four candidates got mostly business-centered questions. All opposed an increase in the minimum wage
Oy.
* The Dispatch did pick up on it, but buried it near the end of its story…
The candidates agreed that taxes and regulations need to be cut, and oppose efforts to raise the minimum wage. Mr. Rauner went further than his rivals on the minimum wage by saying it should be cut.
The minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25 but Mr. Rauner said it should be cut to the federal rate of $7.25 to make the state more competitive in attracting jobs.
Gov. Quinn wants to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour and argues that the $8.25 rate is insufficient to keep workers out of poverty.
What a difference a month makes, eh?
And it should be noted that while Rauner’s Republican opponents whacked him but good this week for proposing to cut the minimum wage, they were standing right there on the same podium with him in December when he initially made the remarks and didn’t utter a peep.
* In other news, Mayor Emanuel jumped on the bandwagon…
“And I think the idea that anybody would even cross the mind of thinking about reducing it when the idea should be about how to expand it, strengthen it and make sure all of the other types of investments from health care to college costs are affordable and accessible to middle class families,” Emanuel said. “And the idea that you would reduce it is actually an idea that looks backwards and actually takes us down.”
* And in other news…
[Steve Shearer], the treasurer and chair of a new committee aimed raise money to combat Rauner, said he could have launched a C-4 SuperPAC where donors would have been shielded. Instead, he has an independent expenditure committee where he will promote transparency.
“My effort is designed to be 1000 percent transparent,” Shearer told the Sun-Times. “It’s an independent expenditure committee. I have nothing to hide about this. This is all about informing Republican voters about the whole Bruce Rauner. Obviously, we’re in a Democracy and we want to provide voters with information to vote. It’s up to them to do what they want with it to the degree they find it credible.”
- LGHB - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 9:41 am:
Flippant huh? Funny because Rauner was just in town recently & I had a local reporter tell me that when he asked Rauner about his minimum wage quote, Rauner said he was “misquoted”.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 9:51 am:
You can’t trust Bruce Rauner at his word, or even at his “editorial” in the Tribune.
Bruce Rauner is now being seen, more and more, as reckless. You can not say Unions are bribing politicians, with such hyperbole and zest, and yet can not, himself, be seen as someone whose word is true, and his battle just.
If it needs to be said, Bruce Rauer will say it, no matter what “Bruce Rauner” said about it before.
Think about this;
Bruce Rauner himself, his Paid Staff, even Campaign “volunteers” had to know, as Bruce Rauner took to a typewriter and “penned” that Op-Ed for the Chicago Tribue, any or all of those mentioned had to know what was “out there” to discredit the word, of the man who is going to “Shake Up Springfield”.
Bruce Rauner’s word is as good as the last person “Bruce Rauner” speaks to. The Campaign, and Bruce Rauner … and even “Bruce Rauner” has shown that to be true now.
You lose the trust, along with the lost integrity of his character, and the ethics by which Bruce Rauner lives his life, and “Bruce Rauner” pretends to portray the life, you lose voters.
“Let them eat cake”, …no … “Give them more money FOR cake” … no … “Keep the same wage, and have them MAKE the cake as a business”
It is said often, a political gaffe of thought is more about what the candidate really thinks, then what the candidate should have said.
Bruce Rauner feels the wag of $8.25 is too high, and no matter what Op-Ed is published, and what videos and audio clips even take away from that, the bottome line is that Bruce Rauner feels $8.25 is too high … of a minimum wage.
I adamantly, adamantly, feel … Bruce Rauner believes he can fool us all, and for that, shame on us, if we prove that to be true.
- skeptical spectacle - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 9:55 am:
From Tribune:
“I was flippant, made a mistake, made a comment without thoroughly explaining my views,” Rauner told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I didn’t use careful language.”
Rauner said Thursday that he’d support boosting the state minimum wage under the right circumstances, a view that differs from his three Republican opponents who don’t support an increase. Rauner said he’d back raising it if the national wage was first increased or if Illinois first approved workers’ compensation and tax reforms.
“I support raising it to $10 … but I want it done in the context of improving the business climate,” he told AP.
Sounds good to me. Anyone with any knowledge of economics knows the minimum wage issue is a nuanced complicated issue. This is what Rauner knows and did not do a good job of articulating.
He made a political error I suppose by half way addressing a very complicated issue. Unfortunately in this day and age our candidates have mortal enemies looking for an icomplete soundbite to use against them negatively.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:01 am:
This is what happens when he is trying to pander to the ultra conservative wing of the party. When you appear on shows like Fritz Pfister’s you are going to get cornered into some of these extreme positions. He has seemed pretty disciplined most of the time but the training wheels have come completely off the bike with this minimum wage stuff.
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:05 am:
Rauner was to be on the air with Pfister this morning.
However, Fritz spewed out a bunch of gobbledygook excuses about changing his internet provider or the like which inadvertently caused Rauner HQ to book another call. He assured his listeners that Rauner would call in next week.
Yeah, right.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:09 am:
===He assured his listeners that Rauner would call in next week.===
Baron von Carhartt is now, offically “running” for, or is it “from”….?
Wonder how that Epic Bus Tour is going…The Tweeter and “The Facebook” have been quite silent … the Tweeter hasn’t had a campaign tweet execpt to the Super 8 since Jan. 7, lol.
- chad - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:11 am:
GOP primary voters easily relate to the minimum wage issue, because many have kids and friends who are working minimum wage retail or food service jobs. Most GOP voters do not think about how the minimum wage can reduce overall job availability – that is for the captains of industry to worry about. The “people who fire other people” who were so despised in the last presidential campaign. GOP voters just want their kids to bring home more bucks to save for college or pay gas for the car. Suburban and downstate GOP women will think about minimum wage earners who actually have to live on it. To these voters, Rauner’s wage reduction statements come off as cruel.
He has damaged his believability by providing the opposition easily-used evidence of “dishonesty”. His ads already make him look like one of those guys trying to sell exercise machines on late night television. Brazenly over-confident, absolute in language, and probably dishonest through omission.
My non-political GOP-voting Mom who initially liked him now thinks he is lying.
- Stones - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:19 am:
Clearly Rauner is catering to his audience. He undoubtedly underestimated the public backlash to a guy who earned $53 million last year wanted to cut the minimum wage.
You can’t unring the bell at this point but I think he should just fall on the sword and tell everyone that he reconsidered and decided that his original position was wrong. The issue will be out there for the duration of this campaign but the way his campaign is handling it now going to lose the election for him.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:26 am:
I’m glad about two things that poll well among both Democrats and Republicans, support of safety net programs and raising the minimum wage. I hope that this year we can raise the minimum wage. It’s time. We can’t any longer have an economy in which the markets are at record highs, corporations are making huge earnings, wealthy individuals are making almost all of the gains while wage earners struggle along.
Rauner’s statements seem to be damaging, in the context of support for wage earners that largely transcends both parties.
- Liandro - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:27 am:
Reconsidered in the span of a month? I understand that campaigns make you study and dwell on issues that you really had not focused on before but…
I guess that’s one of the prices you pay when you head straight into a governor’s race with little prior government or campaign experience. His apparent hypocrisy is likely going to hurt him more than his position on the issue.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:32 am:
It’s quite possible that Rauner doesn’t believe in anything at all. He wouldn’t be the first politician.
He might just be one of the many rich guys who, over the years, grew jealous of the perks and attention that the nincompoops they bankrolled get as elected officials.
Why not bankroll yourself? Then you’ll get on TV, then people will be quoting you, then you’ll get the bodyguards, then people will clear a path for you.
If your motivation is the limelight, you’ll say anything to get it. But try not to take three contradictory positions in the same day.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:36 am:
===His apparent hypocrisy is likely going to hurt him more than his position on the issue.===
You hit it right on the head.
The Campaign is boiling down to the race to define Bruce Rauner.
Can the Rauner Crew “sell” … “Bruce Rauner” quick enough, and solidify the persona of “Bruce Rauner” before …
The defining of the hypocrite Bruce Rauner, with the Rahm Emanuel vacations, the donating to Democrats, the Pension Money making, the clouting of a Daughter through Democrats, and buying a condo in Chicago to try to seem legit.
That is the race. Period.
Which message wins, dictates wether “Bruce Rauner” wins, speaking gaffes included, or if the “3″ can get back in the “Game” and win it in the Precincts on Election Day with a Ground game to drag them over the finish line, and over the carcass of the exposed “Bruce Rauner”.
That is where this race, and ALL the particiapants are at … today.
- Liandro - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:37 am:
@Grandson:
A better solution would be to attack tax reform (labor is taxed higher than investments?) and stop governments from coddling corporations so much in comparison to individuals.
Arbitrarily increasing the value of an entry worker isn’t nearly as effective as truly equalizing and increasing the value of ALL labor. Tax reform might be too complex as a rallying cry, but it would be oh-so-much more effective long-term. Same is true of reforming the way we offer super-incentives for (and eventually bail out, in some cases) mega-corps.
- Liandro - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:41 am:
Agreed Willy; I think the question continues to be which candidate will gather enough money (or some other form of voice) to do the messaging? If it truly just falls on union money, I’m not sure that’s going to do the trick.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:41 am:
How exciting, a Tweeter from Bruce Rauner just appeared.
I guess Baron von Carhartt is excited to be campaigning in Decatur, but not excited enough to campaign on WMAY. lol
- too obvious - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:43 am:
It’s all pure political expediency. Absolutely.
Rauner clearly doesn’t have the courage to fight for what he obviously truly believes strongly in.
Seems like the only thing he’ll stick to is reducing union benefits because I’m sure in his mind that’s money that’s coming out of his pocket. That’s money that should be going to increase his already humongous management fees.
- dave - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:43 am:
**This is what happens when he is trying to pander to the ultra conservative wing of the party. When you appear on shows like Fritz Pfister’s you are going to get cornered into some of these extreme positions.**
Actually… I’m pretty sure that the extreme position here is actually Rauner’s real position.
- Montrose - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:45 am:
So, who capitalizes on the Wagegate? Can Brady, Dillard or Rutherford get any traction now that the Rauner train has come off the tracks? Will any Rauner donors jump ship and shop for a new candidate to back?
Right now, none of them seem to have the resources or savvy to take advantage of this opportunity.
- Jimbo - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 10:53 am:
Thank you Rich for shining a bright light on the fraud that is Baron von Carhartt. This man is a dangerous phony and if he buys the governor’s office we are doomed I tell ya, doomed. I’m half serious about that.
- Wensicia - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 11:11 am:
I think Rauner transformed himself into another Romney in a single day. A weather vane who will switch directions for political expediency. Can anyone trust him going forward?
- foster brooks - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 11:23 am:
Where’s the anti-rauner commercials?
- langhorne - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 11:23 am:
i think a lot of rauners tv ads were scattered in the wind, covering non voters, general election voters, and a few possible primary voters. those primary voters may have been thinking, so far so good. now this.
$53,000,000 rings the bell pretty hard. cutting the minimum wage also rings the bell pretty hard. denying you said it, wanting to raise the wage, and getting blasted w adamant statements from the past ring the bell hard a third time. ding, ding, ding. round over.
this isnt the election. someone has to take the lead in a meaningful way. but for rauner, he is the $53,000,000 liar who wants to cut the minimum wage.
i think dans play all along has been “please consider voting for me”, hoping for indecision at the end, even up to going into the voting booth. dont do anything to disqualify yourself in the mind of a voter. look reasonable. gather enough votes at the end to win a split primary. i think it is a very good strategy.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 11:39 am:
How did the Mayor of Chicago slip in the middle class on raising the minimum wage? I know everyone on all sides of the fence is pandering up a storm on this issue and the winners and losers on this issue are rapidly being sorted out, but I don’t see how earning $400.00 a week ($10.00 x 40 hours) places someone in the middle class. Am I missing something here or is it an leap in logic?
- LincolnLounger - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:03 pm:
@ Chad: “Brazenly over-confident, absolute in language, and probably dishonest through omission.”
Brilliantly stated.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:08 pm:
===Unfortunately in this day and age our candidates have mortal enemies looking for an icomplete soundbite to use against them negatively.===
- skeptical spectacle -,
Are you saying Bruce Rauner is a victim in this?
Really?
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:20 pm:
===candidates have mortal enemies looking for an icomplete soundbite to use against them negatively===
Either be honest or go away. Seriously. Neither of those things happened in this instance and I take great offense at that. Last warning.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:25 pm:
–Unfortunately in this day and age our candidates have mortal enemies looking for an icomplete soundbite to use against them negatively.–
LOL, Farmer Bruce has a lot of money to throw around. What’s the going rate for Secret Troll?
- Curious - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:28 pm:
How in the world did Rauner get an op-ed posted so quickly in the Tribune? What kind of clout has this guy bought?
Everyone knows Rauner allies Ken and Ann Griffith own Reboot Illinois - but do they also have substantial stakes in the Tribune?
- Big Time - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:29 pm:
I, for one, am enjoying this whole thing immensely.
- train111 - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:29 pm:
So today acording to the Elections Baord Richard Uihlein has dumped $1.5 mil into the Liberty Principles PAC. In the last election they made a bunch of media buys. He already gave Rauner 250 large. Is this Rauner’s attempt to fight back against the unions?
That’s alot of cash to be thrown around.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 12:58 pm:
- train111 -,
Dan Proft is the Pres, and Treasurer of the Group.
Could be for those Legislative primaries, could be to “help” Rauner, but guessing what Uihlein and Proft are up to, and in the context of Bruce Rauner and his Minimum Wage fiasco, I don’t know if that is “in play” right now.
The more Rauner, or his apologists, try to walk this back, the more pops up to discredit Rauner.
The money is out there, but still on the sidelines until its spent.
Godd catch, we will see if Rauner benefits from the $1.5 million in his “taking on the Unions” flank, or if these Legislative races find themselves flush with mailers and cabe buys.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 1:00 pm:
“Good catch, we will see if Rauner benefits from the $1.5 million in his ‘taking on the Unions’ flank, or if these Legislative races find themselves flush with mailers and cable buys.”
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 1:00 pm:
–So today acording to the Elections Baord Richard Uihlein has dumped $1.5 mil into the Liberty Principles PAC. –
That’s a lot of Schlitz.
You know it’s inherited money when someone drops cash on Dan Proft and expects any ROI.
- Demoralized - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 1:36 pm:
==He made a political error I suppose by half way addressing a very complicated issue==
He didn’t halfway address the issue. He’s given completely conflicting answers. The only one who made it complicated was Rauner.
- Endangered Moderate Species - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 2:26 pm:
===Unfortunately in this day and age our candidates have mortal enemies ===
Rauner has made his own enemies.
When you attack minimum wage workers for making too much money or compare union members with crooks, you are going to make enemies.
Rauner made his bed and he will now have to sleep in it. Don’t blame others for his blunders.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 3:15 pm:
Does “Slip and Sue” have any thoughts about the Minimum Wage stuff?
Just asking …
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 3:22 pm:
“but I don’t see how earning $400 a week ($10 X 40 hours) places someone in the middle class”
It doesn’t, in and of itself, but it’s a base salary, from which people can earn more but not less. There’s nowhere to go but up for these workers, so it’s a couple of rungs up the ladder. It’s not the be-all, end-all of economic growth, certainly, but it’s a tool in the toolkit, and workers are feeling the pinch of having to work much harder to make ends meet. That’s why voters of different stripes support raising the mimimum wage.
Raising the minimum wage potentially saves taxpayers money also, with fewer people eligible for poverty assistance programs–that is, if income standards for those programs are not also raised.
- Soccermom - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 3:53 pm:
And now today you’ve told us a new story entirely! The question is, Baron von Carhartt, were you lying then, are you lying now,? Or are you not in fact a chronic and habitual LIAR?!
- Rod - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 4:37 pm:
From Rauner’s past TV experiences with the Chicago Teachers Union it was clear that Rauner has a very bad temper when he feels cornered. The Vice President of the CTU rattled Rauner badly on WTTW and his responses became more and more extreme.
I just hope for the sake of lucky Pat Quinn that Republicans forgive Rauner for his contradictions and he wins the primary. I also wondered what Rauner has done to Lou Lang, Lou’s comments about the minimum wage issue were among the sharpest of any elected Democrat.
- Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Jan 10, 14 @ 4:48 pm:
“…Bad idea…TERrible idea.” Well, that kind of SEALS it, then, in terms of how he TRULY FEELS about the matter. So take the hit already, Brucie, and no more ‘o all this wishy-washiness about it…!!