90 Comments - Stones - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 8:46 am: Excellent Ad. A solid A. She’s a big asset to his campaign. - strawman - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 8:48 am: Strong play for the centrist vote, right there. - Downstater - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 8:52 am: Excellent Ad. Will definitely help with the independents and moderates. A positive message. - William j Kelly - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 8:58 am: Hillary and Diana in 2016! - William j Kelly - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 8:58 am: Or maybe Jeb and Diana? - Anon 1 - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:02 am: Very good ad. I think Rauner not not be a good governor, but this ad makes me think he is a normal person married to a decent women that will constantly make him consider progressive issues. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:03 am: Couple things on Script; She says she’s a Democrat, but then says it’s not about “Democrat” or “Republican”, so why ID yourself as either? Please do not use “Warrior”… no one is bleeding or dying. Atheltes get ripped mercilessly for calling themselves “Warriors”. How about a “strong advocate”? —————————————– Hi Mrs. Rauner, We missed you in the Primary. As you are now a “Prop” all of a sudden, maybe you could tell us all about the school stuff, and Clouting of your Winnetka Daughter in Payton Prep, as you and your husband, the “Warrior” fight for schools? Your Pal, Oswego Willy - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:05 am: BTW, I give it a “B+, A-”. If she was holding a cup of coffee while reading, that would have made it an “A”. Kinda snark, but kinda true …coffee cup would have made it more homey. - DuPage Bard - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:05 am: Another good ad. PQ and team better get moving soon to negate this middle agenda. - OneMan - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:08 am: Again a solid effort, she is a good spokesperson for him A - Arthur Andersen - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:09 am: Solid A. Not a “message” ad but the intro effectively continues. - William j Kelly - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:09 am: I got it! Jebery Jibery in 2016! - Generation X - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:10 am: Agree with everyone else, and it is a great tact knowing Quinn can’t go on offensive against Diana - Bemused - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:12 am: Good Ad. She will be a good asset for Bruce and will help him with a key demographic that Bill failed to get. This one is going to be close in November - Belle - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:14 am: I do not find her believable. - William j Kelly - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:15 am: New add Diana: hi I am dianna I believe in everything and nothing at all! We are passionate about different things depending on what year it is, what state we are in or who Bruce’s next deal is with. (Pause and smile) I know that if you vote for my husband together we can do whatever Rahm tells us to in private. Thank you for being total and complete idiots! - From the 'Dale to HP - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:15 am: Good ad. I’m starting to question the strategy of ignoring downstate however. - Montrose - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:17 am: Unfortunately, it is a good ad. “He does not have a social agenda.” Ok. So, that won’t be what he makes his top priority, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have to deal with social issues. Also, a budget is a moral document. You don’t get to pretend you are not making “social” decisions when you talk about how the state spends money. - Upon Further Review - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:21 am: It is a well made commercial, but it is seems quite dishonest that after a primary, which Rauner narrowly won and in which Rauner constantly bobbed, ducked and weaved as to addressing his positions of social issues and values, that the candidate sends out his spouse to tell the voters that he is taking no position on social issues. That will require a total rewrite of the most recent Republican Party platform, but I doubt that Bruce Rauner has ever read that document. - Bogart - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:23 am: Off Topic - Rich, why no opportunity for commentary on Legislative IG’s “clearing” of Madigan in transit probe? - wordslinger - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:27 am: It’s all about suburban women. They’re the ballgame. - Cassiopeia - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:28 am: A+ ad. The bumbling Quinn team just doesn’t have the same class as Rauner’s team. - Goldwater - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:29 am: Sorry lady (and Rauner operatives), if I want a Democrat in the Governor’s mansion I’ll vote for Quinn. Rauner putting his liberal wife out there so aggressively is making me think it might be better to vote for Quinn in November. - Rich Miller - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:30 am: Bogart, there was a big post on that issue yesterday. Search before you whine, please. - Bill White - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:30 am: The micro-targeting is superb with the network buy being: BRVO, FOOD, HGTV, TVL, USA - hoosier daddy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:31 am: When does the ad come out with Bruce admitting he’s also a lifelong Democrat? - Upon Further Review - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:31 am: @wordslinger: You’re right, but Rauner was cowardly in not addressing topics when it could have cost him primary votes. It reminds me of another Illinois candidate who is now based in the District of Columbia. - wordslinger - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:34 am: The ad’s fine, you really can’t mess up an endorsement from your wife. For some reason, it reminds of the scene from “The Departed” on the driving range where the Alec Baldwin character explains to the Matt Damon character the importance of being married in advancing your career. Not suitable for the blog, but hilarious, nonetheless. - anonymous - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:35 am: As a Democrat, I am open to considering Rauner. Use of word “warrior” is odd. - naperville nanny - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:37 am: “Party affiliation doesn’t Matter”. What a great topic for Bruce’s next Lincoln Day Dinner speech. - Darienite - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:37 am: To ‘From the Dale to HP’, if she wore a Carhart jacket, would that appeal to the downstate vote? Agree with the other posts that this ad is intended for women state-wide. Republicans have previously done poorly attracting this segment. The ad is a ‘A-’. - Walter Mitty - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:38 am: A+ I respectfully disagree with my real governor candidate. OW, Payton Prep matters to all of us that pay attention. She is a Democrat. This gives not just suburban women but ALL women including downstate the chance to get in… Economy and Education. Nothing more important. Smartest move ever to wait until now to bring her out. There is no way to combat honesty. - Frosty-The Snowman - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:42 am: Another great ad. I am actually starting to believe what his wife is saying that he is more focused on the financial and educational health of our state and is not necessarily a zealot about the social issues. That concept will attract moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats like moths to a bright light at night. Do what is necessary to fix the quagmire that partisan politics has managed to get us into. Rauner may be ignoring downstate? However, he has also been ignoring the heavily populated collar counties like Will County which has over 388,000 registered voters. Instead, he goes to some far less populated southern Illinois county to pop in on them. I am sure he has his reasons but I am not sure that they are necessarily politically well-thought out reasons. One of my union friends told me that he could vote for Rauner but he said “Where is the guy? Why doesn’t he stop in at a Denny’s Restaurant or a Cracker Barrel once in awhile to talk to the average guys like myself and to introduce himself? Our union likes to portray him as rich and out-of-touch and his wearing a Carhartt and riding a motorcycle is his gimmick to ‘feel our pain”. The union rank & file want him to talk to them. The union leadership doesn’t want Rauner to talk to them. Rauner would do well to remember the collar counties. Republicans and Independents like his ads, like his wife, and like his message. Now he has to convince them and the moderate Democrats that “he is sincere” and real. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:45 am: - Walter Mitty -, Oh, I was just tweaking Mrs. Rauner, and letting her know I think her husband is just a big Phony. All three Rauners, the two Bruces and Diana will never admit anything, so it’s fun to “tweak” her about Payton Prep too, since she wrote such a nice note and all.., - Hit or Miss - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:45 am: “Bruce doesn’t have a social agenda.” Looks to me not to be a slight bit of drifting to the political center but totally abandoning a significant number of the Republicans who voted for him in the recent primary. - Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:48 am: He can put out all the snazzy ads in the world, but each time I see one of these non-content ads, I go through the following thought process: - Okay — the ad’s good. - But he’s still a rich guy playing with a new idea — and this idea is that, “Hey, guys, I think I’ll try and be a governor this year.” - The only reason he can do that is because he’s rich. - He’s not rich, he’s filthy wealthy. - Wealth is not speech. - Wealth is not intelligence. - Wealth is not substance. - And the whole thing — playing with ‘let’s be governor this year’ is irksome and offensive. - Rauner is, at the core, running a content-less campaign. - And this, to my not-wealthy mind is offensive, sleazy, and so typical of wealthy politicians. That’s it. That’s what runs thought my head. *shrug* - OneMan - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:53 am: == What a great topic for Bruce’s next Lincoln Day Dinner speech. == If he gives a Lincoln day speech it likely means he is governor and at that point most attendees would care less if the topic was “Pat Quinn was great governor” - Arizona Bob - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:55 am: A+. Brilliant campaign strategy. Rauner wouldn’t be my first coice for governor, but when compared to Quinn’s dishonesty and incompetence he looks like a superstar. Can anyone remember as well conceived of a campaign strategy as this in Illinois politics? I can’t vote in this election…well I could if I was a Democrat in Madigan’s wards ’cause Orr hasn’t taken me off the voter rolls yet…but I and my wife and kids would be sure votes for him. - wordslinger - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:56 am: –Looks to me not to be a slight bit of drifting to the political center but totally abandoning a significant number of the Republicans who voted for him in the recent primary.– And where are they going to go? He’s running against Quinn. The GOP prom king vote is over. - x ace - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:57 am: What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this ? - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 9:57 am: ===Can anyone remember as well conceived of a campaign strategy as this in Illinois politics?=== Blago’s 1st and 2nd runs? Phonies, all that glitters … You asked. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:03 am: I’m sorry but I don’t like the ad. It seems disingenuous and purely political. That’s fine, I get the politics part, but I don’t buy it. Diana Rauner says she is a Democrat, but she is endorsing un-Democratic policies, like stripping unions, ending defined pensions that helped make her and her husband wealthy and not having a stable revenue stream through fair taxation or keeping the current income tax rate where it is. Rauner has shown himself to be anti-middle-class. If that’s what Diana endorses, then the Democrat label doesn’t apply too well to her. It’s low-info-voter stuff. It’s definitely okay to pull on people’s heartstrings to get their votes. For that it’s good stragegy. I still don’t buy it. I want to see more policy stuff. Like I was told once a long time ago by my bosses at a telemarketing company: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS.” This goes to Rauner’s policy positions. D+ - Responsa - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:06 am: I think people outside the politics game and the political job bubble (I don’t mean this as a pejorative, just as an identifier) do not fully appreciate how really disgusted normal taxpaying citizens out here in the real world are with the partisan rancor and party demonizing that continually comes from both sides. People just want a state that works and one with leaders who don’t constantly embarrass them. The two recent Rauner ads are suggesting to voters that there’s another approach to managing government. Whether you like him or not, or believe him or not, it’s hard to deny that he and Diana and his team are tapping into a real hunger by many voters for something different. For what he needs to do to reach the voters he most needs to reach, it’s absolutely a first class A+ ad. - naperville nanny - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:06 am: ==”If he gives a Lincoln day speech it likely means he is governor and at that point most attendees would care less if the topic was “Pat Quinn was great governor”== Yes, One Man, GOPers want to win. But winning with a candidate that has no platform, no strong convictions, no pride in his party affiliation, doesn’t really help their local party organization does it? Oh, I forgot. Brucey may write a big check to the local party right after his speech. All is forgiven. - b - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:07 am: His wife isn’t running for gov. So who cares? I guess it is a good strategy if the candidate is garbage. - Upon Further Review - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:12 am: Could Mrs. Rauner explain her husband’s continued support of Aaron Del Mar for Cook County Republican Chairman? If it is all about the suburban women, how do you sweep Del Mar’s creepy behavior under the rug? Dan Mihalopoulos of the Chicago Sun Times covered this story and it is not pretty. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:15 am: - naperville nanny -, What you need to understand, is the smae people, mostly Republicans howled about Blago, how HE was a phony, and running for re-election, the partisan GOP complained how honesty and integrity, ethics and morals matter. Now, in 2014, all these “Moral” GOPers who scoffed at people who voted for Blago, against their better selves can not wait … to vote for the biggest phony since Blago. See, voting against your better self is ok … if the guy you are voting for has a chance to win. If the candidate has no chamce, you just claim that moral highground. Rauner’s support is based on the Blago hypocisy of the GOP. Rauner says he will possibly shut down government, possibly force strikes, “teach” Mike Madigan, be an outsider, be for the people … Very. Blagojevian. The GOP voter who now supports Rauner and railed on MJM, Cullerton, Jesse White for supporting Blago… congrats, you are now exactly who who railed against with Rod. - Responsa - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:17 am: gah!! *inside* the politics game… - Upon Further Review - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:25 am: @Oswego Willy: “Voting against your better self is okay …” I still question my decision in the Ryan/Poshard election… - OneMan - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:29 am: Yes, One Man, GOPers want to win. But winning with a candidate that has no platform, no strong convictions, no pride in his party affiliation, doesn’t really help their local party organization does it? Having seen it directly in my community, I can tell you winning elections has a direct impact on helping party organization. Be it fundraising or attracting folks to be involved who are more than single issue voters. Without electoral success a political organization at any level quickly degrades into a group of folks who wonder why no one else agrees with them. Also lets not kid ourselves, some folks get involved with local party organizations to get improved access to those in power, when you don’t have people in power. I will tell you pure and simple what is going to help my local political organization. Winning So if my nominee isn’t going to use the label, I am fine with that. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:31 am: - UFR -, Elections will do that. Voting matters. Candiates matter. When your better self is rationalized, that is on you, not the candidate you supported or voted for, and then the consequences thereafter on aon you too. I never voted for Rod, so I won’t vote for Rauner, and can’t vote for Quinn. It will be up to the 2 campaigns to get their supports to get them across the finish line, and I ma not dragging either over, thanks. - Upon Further Review - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:33 am: @OW: Are there any third party candidates working to secure a ballot position yet? - Grandson of Man - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:34 am: From what I can tell, what passes for a Republican moderate these days is a few politicians sticking their necks out to vote in favor of social reform along with far-right tax and union policies. Sen. Kirk, who endorses Rauner, is one of those politicians. He tries to insult unions and lies about their influence on economies, but he could not tout being a moderate today if not for the heavy lifting of unions and Democrats who passed marriage equality. So if Sen. Kirk or any other Republican puffs out his or her chest for being a social moderate, it’s important to remember who enabled that to happen. - Walker - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:41 am: Another A “Bruce is not about social issues” Key point, casually made. Probably not what a lot of his primary supporters were assuming, though. “It’s the economy, stupid.” Smart staff, plus money, will be hard to beat. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:42 am: - URF -, Voting for a 3rd party candidate in this very specific instance is going to benefit the other 2, due to the turnouts being so low, and each of these 2 campaigns relying on numbers they feel are their sweet spots, even an unorthodox sweet spot for Rauner. I have no idea, but i will leave the race blank, letting these two campaigns to figure out their cakes. To bring this back, to the Ad, This type of buy, giving Mrs. Rauner visibility, will allow later her impact to really be felt. The Rauner Crew hadn’t introduced her until now, and in the lull, ingrane her in the conscious of women for later use, like a good “Prop”. Evelyn Sanguinetti? Where are you? I thought YOU were going to be the Savior for women voters? Is the vacation fun? Border Counties downstate love them GOP Lt. Governor candidates … - Mason born - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:51 am: Grandson of man “It’s low-info-voter stuff.” Your absolutely right it is for the low information voter. Which let’s be honest is at least 80% of the voters in the election. If every Voter took the time to educate themselves on every election we would have a much better Republic. If PQ could get every voter that reads CapFax and loses the low-info-voters he better have a great concession speech. Ad is an A just for that fact. Add to it Rauner has the money to push these ads and IMHO PQ is in the fight of his political life. - wordslinger - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:56 am: UFR, really? This spot “reminds” you of Niemoller’s account of the rise of Naziism? I sure hope you’re alone in that demented analogy. - Mason born - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 10:59 am: Willy Not questioning your choice to leave blank. 50/50 that way myself. I wonder though about the difference you see between leaving it blank and a 3rd party vote. See your statement at 10:42. - Rich Miller - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:00 am: Word, UFR’s post was deleted. If this happens again, that person will be banned for life. Rauner Derangement Syndrome is a very powerful disease. - Upon Further Review - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:03 am: Apologies. - wordslinger - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:04 am: –Rauner Derangement Syndrome is a very powerful disease.– Not a big fan, but geez-louise. I think there’s more than RDS going on in this particular instance. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:05 am: “If PQ could get every voter that reads CapFax and loses the low-info-voters he better have a great concession speech.” I agree. You win in politics any way you can, even if you script a message that targets a particular audience when your statements and policies have differed substantially. There is no rationalization for being outplayed and outhustled politically. If a candidate doesn’t play politics to his or her advantage, then tough cookies and no tears. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:10 am: - Mason Born -, Voting for a 3rd person, or a 3rd party candidate, it allows one of the two in the row, to reap a “reward” for the intervention of taking voters needed to bake a winning cake. Think Ross Perot, GHWB and Clinton. Did Perot turn the election for Clinton? That is the arguement both sides like to make in either instance. By leaving it blank, let the 2 Campaigns rely on getting their “Pluses” out, and building their cake without a perceived “yeast” of votes for a 3rd party. Just my “take” on my very specific ONE vote. Nothing more. - Upon Further Review - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:10 am: It was not a good example. It was too extreme. For myself, I cannot accept the blanket suggestion that all social issues do not matter and that economic issues are the only ones that are important. I cannot support a candidate who has no core values beyond accumulating personal wealth. - Mason born - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:15 am: Willy I see your distinction. I was simply curious how you reached it. Thanks for explaining. - naperville nanny - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:17 am: Oswego, I’m not voting for Rauner either. I think its funny that Brucey waived off any talk about his wife in the Primary as “not important”. Now she has appeared in two post primary ads and its only April. Brucey reeks of hypocrisy with every step he makes. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:24 am: - Mason Born -, whew! I left all my charts and graphs in my other suit, or the dog ate it. All good, glad it made sense. - nn -, The reality is that this “B+, A-” Ad will have impact, like Rod’s Ads, specifically in his re-election did. Campaigns are funny that way at times. I if this buy is “only” $83K, think about when the $1 million a week starts rolling with a well identified “Prop” of Mrs. Rauner highlighting those buys. Yikes! - Mason born - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:27 am: Willy No problem. A co-worker and i were joking about whether we should change her name to “None of the Above” and put her on the ballot. - Downstater - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:35 am: Smart move by the campaign to run this ad. Shows their professionalism and understanding of targeting messaging to get votes. You know, in spite of what some people may say, it is about getting the most votes in the election. All smart and good candidates change their messaging, after the primary. Once elected to office, they often change their message again to govern. Nothing new about the Rauner campaign. - Jake From Elwood - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:42 am: A solid B. She is a much better spokesperson than Mrs. Quinn. Oh wait… - DateNight - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:49 am: [This commenter has a terminal case of Rauner Derangement Syndrome and has been banned for life.] - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 11:54 am: - Mason Born -, No. See - Norseman - about a certain write-in candidate about to explode on the scene … I am taking off the snark aspect on this suggestion; have her hold a coffee mug. Mrs. Rauner is in the kitchen, this is like a “kitchen table” pitch, and it keeps her from using her arms and hands, and the focus becomes more on her eyes. Don’t have her drink before or after, but hold the mug. Also good “feel” for the cable stations its running and shows seen on those stations. Food for thought… - A guy... - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:24 pm: She’s talking to exactly who they want and need her to talk to; soccer moms, hockey moms, high school and college parent moms, Soft Ds and Independents and Suburban County moms. Well scripted, well produced, well done all the way around. She looks pretty and relates to the target they’re aiming at. She’s the opposite of Quinn in Democratic circles. It gets the job done well. I’m going from A,B,C, etc. to pass/fail. This passes. - Soccermom - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:44 pm: Unbelievably, i’m going to agree with A guy… This ad is beautifully aligned to the target audience. Nicely done. (and obviously, I am not agreeing with the “opposite of Quinn” comment.) I will not vote for Bruce Rauner, but i would sure hire his kitchen contractor. - Bill White - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:08 pm: = This ad is beautifully aligned to the target audience. = Precisely. - DuPage Bard - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 2:48 pm: The point is missed on most here, as most are insiders. This is a great ad. Another great ad. It is straight out of a reality show style. If you think for one moment people, outside of the insiders, care at all about all of the inside baseball that’s talked about, your crazy. Rauner has the money and will to buy this whole State and is poised to do so. An interesting thing really is the fact that his Lt. pick has been seen once on TV, on election night, and sounded horrible. Smart move keeping her hidden for the rest of the election, she is not ready for prime time and could hurt the campaign. Keep her out of sight and mind, you don’t want people knowing who will take over if something horrible happens. - Springfield Outsider - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:25 pm: This is the first time I can remember where an Illinois gubernatorial candidate’s wife has taken a lead role….I think it will be effective. - A guy... - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:36 pm: ===Soccermom - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 12:44 pm: Unbelievably, i’m going to agree with A guy… This ad is beautifully aligned to the target audience. Nicely done. (and obviously, I am not agreeing with the “opposite of Quinn” comment.) I will not vote for Bruce Rauner, but i would sure hire his kitchen contractor.==== Worry not Soccer Mom. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn on occasion. You’re the target. It hit you in the brain. Your heart is elsewhere. Don’t you want to see all 9 kitchens before choosing this contractor? LOL. Threw in the last line for the gallery! - Amalia - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 3:58 pm: A Really good ad. she’s a lovely person. but, inside baseball, she can’t really be a Democrat if she donated all that money to Republicans, so if she voted Dem—which we can’t prove (did she pull a D primary ballot?), but funded R/conservative, she’s kind of a hypocrite. or a good combine pol. like her husband. hard to make a critique of his wife, but trying to think of some way to portray reality. - wordslinger - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:04 pm: –This is the first time I can remember where an Illinois gubernatorial candidate’s wife has taken a lead role….I think it will be effective.– Could be, but there’s a reason others haven’t done it. You’re putting a family member “out there,” in harm’s way. It’s a zero-sum game, politics, and it can get brutal, once you’re a “public figure.” Personally, if I want to grab at the brass ring, I don’t put a family member out there. I stand alone. In my mind, I step in front of my peeps to take the hits. I don’t stand behind them. - DuPage Rep - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:14 pm: ==An interesting thing really is the fact that his Lt. pick has been seen once on TV, on election night, and sounded horrible. Smart move keeping her hidden for the rest of the election, she is not ready for prime time== Maybe because you can’t speak Spanish DuPage Bard. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:24 pm: ===You’re putting a family member “out there,” in harm’s way. It’s a zero-sum game, politics, and it can get brutal, once you’re a “public figure.”=== And… ===In my mind, I step in front of my peeps to take the hits. I don’t stand behind them.=== You are a good man - wordslinger -. You put best what I was hoping my snark could say. Weirdest use of a family member as a “Prop” and a shield and a scapegoat all into one that I could remember. - Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:24 pm: D R is really not as attractive a saleswoman as his Campaign seems to think she is–of COURSE, ANY Woman will stand by her man and say she’s gonna vote for him–whoa, now THERE’s a SHOCK! Hope his Campaign is enjoying what they actually think will make a difference with the Women’s Vote–just wait until Pat Quinn’s Campaign comes out with a cavalcade, inevitably, of the “Women for Quinn” type Commercials which were both SO incredibly effective AND persuasive on the Gov.’s behalf in 2010! Now those Pro-Quinn Appeals won’t just be coming from the one who OBviously will stand at BR’s side, but from an ARRAY of Women along a Wide-Ranging GAMUT of backgrounds and issues in which Pat Quinn is on the right side of their Cause–and has PROVEN his loyalty in deed, not by just blowing hot air like Diane is–and remind Women of All ages and Persuasions, politically or otherwise, that they can COUNT ON and have a REAL Friend in PQ, which he shown again and again over the years…! THAT’s the kind of approach/Real-Life Stories’ type of appeal, once again, which will make the kind of practical difference as he showed so masterfully before in 2010, that will help the Quinnster ultimately succeed in gaining the Majority of the Women’s Vote in Illinois. - Just The Way It Is One - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:29 pm: Oh, and by the way, is she slick–REAL slick, just like the Candidate. But if they wanted to, incidentally, I have NO doubt that she would meet her match in the Governor’s Significant Other, the even FAR more impressively down-to-earth, humble, and classy Monica Walker–who’s made a MINT of her own accomplishments without a PENNY of assistance from her spouse, as Diana has, no doubt…! - Responsa - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:37 pm: Does anyone really see any indication at all that Diana is being “put out there” against her will or that it is counter to her own judgement or comfort? It looks like she’s having a ball in this role and from how natural she sounds one must assume that she has had a great deal of input into what she’s saying in these ads and how she presents it. The added benefit is that while this ad’s appeal is to a rather targeted audience, many voters are looking at her and thinking, “Hmmm she’s charming. She’d be a classy first lady for this state. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:46 pm: - Responsa -, Change a few words, you have what the ‘92 Clinton Campaign though about Hillary as an out-front asset. Double-edged sword. Too early to determine, but if she wants to be so out there or not, or whatever, Diana out there exposes her to things other wives may not be. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:47 pm: …or spouses… Apologies to female candidates and their husbands. - Rich Miller - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:51 pm: ===Apologies to female candidates and their husbands.=== Or their wives. Just sayin… - Responsa - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:53 pm: Your chivalry and zeal to protect the little lady is duly noted. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 11, 14 @ 4:53 pm: I am a Dope. “Stop digging!” Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.