* From a press release…
Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner today released automated calls to voters in six key state legislative districts where the General Assembly’s vote on making Pat Quinn’s state income tax increase permanent could be decided.
“Pat Quinn thinks you don’t pay enough in taxes – but I disagree,” Rauner says in the calls. “There’s still time to help me fight Pat Quinn’s tax increase – and to let State Representative Deb Conroy know you want her to protect you from higher income taxes.”
The calls come one day after media reported that Quinn and House Speaker Michael Madigan convened a secret backroom meeting with Democratic lawmakers to pressure them to vote for Quinn’s tax hike. Reports indicate the meeting did not go well for Quinn with lawmakers rejecting the governor’s false choice between raising taxes and funding education.
Rauner encouraged voters to stand against Pat Quinn’s tax increase proposal and ensure State Representatives Deb Conroy (LD 46), Marty Moylan (LD 55), Carol Sente (LD 59), Sam Yingling (LD 62), Mike Smiddy (LD 71), Kate Cloonen (LD 79), and Sue Scherer (LD 96) vote against it if Madigan calls a vote.
That’s seven, not six, as the press release says.
And I know Rauner is unfamiliar with the Statehouse, but room 114 isn’t a “backroom.” It’s a hearing room.
* The robocall…
* Script…
Hello, this is Bruce Rauner. Yesterday, Governor Pat Quinn and Mike Madigan held a secret backroom meeting with State Representatives, pressuring them to raise your income taxes. Pat Quinn thinks you don’t pay enough in taxes – but I disagree. There’s still time to help me fight Pat Quinn’s tax increase – and to let State Representative [insert name] know you want [him/her] to protect you from higher income taxes. If you oppose higher income taxes and want to get more involved in my campaign, call me at 312-583-0704. Paid for by Citizens for Rauner, Inc
If you call the number, you’re asked to “dial zero” for an operator. I did so and was put on hold and then transferred into a voicemail account for volunteers.
Usually, these sorts of robocalls offer to connect you to your legislators. So Rauner’s calls aren’t interactive in the traditional sense.
…Adding… If Rauner really wanted to have an impact on the vote itself, he wouldn’t target most of those folks listed above. They’re already solid “No” votes on a tax hike extension. Instead, he’d go after Democrats who aren’t quite decided, or are staying mum.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:00 pm:
==convened a secret backroom meeting with Democratic lawmakers==
AKA a caucus meeting.
Also, it wasn’t much of a secret.
- Almost the Weekend - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:03 pm:
So it’s not Rauner’s job to put forth a plan for the budget, but he can bombard house districts with automated telephone calls opposing the income tax hike.
The campaign’s response of Pat Quinn, Mike Madigan, and John Cullerton are in charge.. basically just went out the window. Rauner campaign doesn’t seem to be coordinating too well.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:08 pm:
Six, seven, whatever it takes.
I’m confused. I thought Rauner wanted to know “weaknesses and fears” before leveraging the Mushrooms. This is all wrong, first they can’t count to 7, now they want to put horses’ heads in beds before at least having dinner.
How exciting too, that will make working with the GA Rauner may inherit very welcoming and a long honeymoon to boot.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:10 pm:
Technologically, this bit is about as effective as the “855-PAT-TIPS” corruption hotline that also dumped callers into voicemail. With their budget, one would think the execution would be better.
- Norseman - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:20 pm:
Picky, picky, so the campaign can’t count; doesn’t know where Room 114 is; and, doesn’t implement stunts very well, what do you expect from a campaign this flush!
- A guy... - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:44 pm:
These 7 are solid “No votes”. They’re about to get more solid and feel better about it. There’s at least one of them who might have needed this. The big internal fight will be among the rest who have to take this vote while this crew gets a pass.
I understand the strategy of having the person get connected directly to the legislator, but that’s where you lose control of the call and the count. This is providing key data, like most of his other calls. When you’re looking through Dem Districts or Dem leaning districts for “your potentials”, this helps identify them. Could be very helpful to the opponents of these 7 too. The rest of the criticism is a little picayune. He’s getting what he needs out of this. Not to worry. Look for the waverers to get similar more targeted treatment soon. Or get lambasted after they vote.
- Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:48 pm:
With counting skills like that he truly is qualified to be governor.
- Shark Sandwich - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:53 pm:
**Also, it wasn’t much of a secret.**
It wasn’t open to the public, or m(any?) reporters..
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:54 pm:
I’m sad I didn’t get in on this robocall scam. Politicians will still pay money for it.
It’s amazing to me that anyone can think that annoying people who don’t screen landlines with a recorded voice is effective marketing in 2014.
Maybe I’ll start Wordslinger’s Real Good Carrier Pigeon Messaging.
- CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:54 pm:
Come on Capt Fax
ShakeyMitt “NoBodyPerfect” Rauner is trying (poorly) to stay in the race.
Give him a chance to mishmash through robocalls
to people already voting no
Sheer genius
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:55 pm:
Rauner is tapping into the mistrust Illinoisans have towards their current government leaders. Considering how this entire income tax issue has been handled, Madigan and Quinn has made it very easy for Rauner to write this script.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:59 pm:
==It wasn’t open to the public==
Caucus meetings aren’t. C’mon. This isn’t anything new. Sheesh.
- Obamas Puppy - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 2:59 pm:
Good to know that Rauner will have all his meeting with House repub caucus in the middle of the rotunda. It just sounds better saying back room, facts be damned.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 3:11 pm:
===This is providing key data, like most of his other calls. When you’re looking through Dem Districts or Dem leaning districts for “your potentials”, this helps identify them. Could be very helpful to the opponents of these 7 too===
“Call me, Maybe?” - Raunerite style! lol
Tons of things now make perfect sense;
Pat Brady supporting Bruce Rauner, and Brady will spearhead “Call WE! Maybe?”
Jack Dorgan was replaced because Pat Brady told Rauner about the missing Frozen Strawberries…
Thanks - A Guy… -, now I know how the Rauner GOTV will go.
“Call We, Maybe?”
- Shark Sandwich - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 3:23 pm:
“Caucus meetings aren’t.”
Yup. ‘Secret’.
- A guy... - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 3:44 pm:
=== Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 3:11 pm:
===This is providing key data, like most of his other calls. When you’re looking through Dem Districts or Dem leaning districts for “your potentials”, this helps identify them. Could be very helpful to the opponents of these 7 too===
“Call me, Maybe?” - Raunerite style! lol
Tons of things now make perfect sense;
Pat Brady supporting Bruce Rauner, and Brady will spearhead “Call WE! Maybe?”
Jack Dorgan was replaced because Pat Brady told Rauner about the missing Frozen Strawberries…
Thanks - A Guy… -, now I know how the Rauner GOTV will go.
“Call We, Maybe?”====
Kinda hard for me to ferret out a point to your blabber here dude. Just keep calling me a Dope. And then after the polls close, keep pointing out what you thought was supposed to happen. But didn’t. Clever by half you are buddy. Yep.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 3:51 pm:
- A Guy… -,
It really was a mocking, for a different audience, on far different issues. If you don’t see the humor, I can’t help ya.
“Let’s make phone calls!”
- Walker - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 3:55 pm:
Shark: Political party caucus meetings are almost always for members only.
Would you demand the press/public be at all Rebublican Party caucus meetings, or at Rauner’s campaign strategy meetings?
Part of out American system of government, and has been for ever.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 4:04 pm:
They just needed the right Con$ulting Firm….
- Bill White - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 4:11 pm:
If these seven Democrats vote “No” will Bruce Rauner stand with them in November?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 4:20 pm:
===If these seven Democrats vote “No” will Bruce Rauner stand with them in November?===
Being a Raunerite dictates that;
It’s not Democrat or Republican, it’s Raunerite, via a Tom Hagen “charm”
- AA -, again, “My Bad”. Can you set up one more meeting, I will stay silent, eat Cannoli, and have you “close”…
- LincolnLounger - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 4:23 pm:
Say what you want, but I think this is effective as toxic as the numbers are for tax increases in this environment. I don’t know what he has to lose by reinforcing these (allegedly) solid NO votes.
Most of this stuff — what kind of room, how many, closed caucus, etc., is insider baseball and fun for us to pick apart. The average voter won’t care.
God knows I am not a Rauner fan, but the only thing I would criticize is that I do think they should have done the robocalls that connected people to their legislators. Whether they took advantage or not, it would have made people feel a part of the process.
- Commander Norton - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 4:39 pm:
The script isn’t just misleading; it’s flat inaccurate. Quinn thinks you pay enough in income taxes. He won’t think you’re paying enough come January 1 if the rates are allowed to expire.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 5:35 pm:
As I said a couple of days ago: the whole African Americans for Rauner is a head fake.
this is another clear sign of where the battleground is.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 5:39 pm:
Rauner’s not out to do anything, except get elected. He just wants the gig, or thinks he does, anyway.
It gnaws at him that he scored so big, gave away so much money, and no one knows who he is. Until he blew six million in the primary to barely beat Dillard, he was a stranger at a family reunion.
When you get to be his age and have that much cash, it’s all about filling in the clause of the first sentence of the obit: “Bruce Rauner, xxxxxxx, died yesterday.”
“Former governor of Illinois” fills that obit clause better than “run-of-the-mill pay-to-play hustler.”
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 5:53 pm:
- wordslinger -,
The more I see that Comment in the last fed weeks, the more I have warned up to the truth of it more and more, and back away from the Campaign reality of what is going on.
Rauner wants to win. Win. To be Governor. There must be some sort of acknowledgement Rauner is missing. Rauner is willing to deny all he is, to be seen and liked. Almost “love me, know me”, but under his terms, and for the reward of titles and accolades.
Charles Foster Kane.
There are Kane Campaign quotes that are eerie when comparing Rauner to them and Rauner quotes.
It’s the title, not the job? It’s the office not the work?
You were On It first, - wordslinger -, I am late to this. I saw the Charles Foster Kane for comparison, I just never saw it as the Primer.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 6:20 pm:
YDD, otherwise, what’s the point?
Take a guy like Bloomberg (not to say that Rauner is in the same neighborhood as Bloomberg when it comes to money, because he’s not).
Why did he run for mayor of New York, with $27 billion in the bank?
Bloomberg didn’t want his obit clause to be “, financial reporting pioneer,” he wanted it to be “long-time mayor of New York.”
Hell, yeah. Not many of those.
That way, you live forever with street and building names, and in the history books.
If you’re a private equity guy like Rauner, it’s dust-to-dust, like the rest of us, no matter how much you banked. No one will ever remember who you were.
If Rauner is elected, don’t expect anything revolutionary. He’ll play ball with whoever’s around. He’s been doing it his whole business career.
Given how he goes whichever way the wind blows, I’m sure, if elected, Rauner will play ball with everyone.
- Bill White - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 8:40 pm:
Oh joy, just what we need, Governor Ozymandias.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, May 20, 14 @ 11:03 pm:
==That’s seven, not six, as the press release says.==
This is an amateur mistake, but according to a comment on another thread, Rauner isn’t where he is today because he makes mistakes like an amateur! LOL, some numbers guy!
- Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, May 21, 14 @ 12:43 am:
The message is complete BS: It was not a secret (they held a press conference afterwards); it was not a back room; it is not a tax increase (it’s keeping it the same).
All that said, it indicates that Rauner understands that reality is whatever you can sell to the uninformed voter, which is, unfortunately, most of them. The RoboCall message is actually an indication of how Rauner views the citizens of our state.