* Let’s start the coverage of this story with the react from John Tillman at the Illinois Policy Institute…
One of the most harmful actions one can take with respect to racial issues is the false charge of racism. Today we have seen Gov. Quinn do just that in his desperate bid for re-election. It is a failure of leadership of the highest order.
We stand by every word I said in the video that Gov. Quinn’s campaign office released today. Those remarks from October of 2011 convey what we have long believed: that the free enterprise system and the founding principles of this country are the best way to help all of our people, but especially the poor, disadvantaged and minorities. That is what the Illinois Policy Institute fights for every day.
Any fair viewer of that video will see the falseness of Gov. Quinn’s press release from this morning.
We will have more to say on this later in the day.
John Tillman
* Now, let’s move back a step and hear what the Quinn campaign had to say a bit earlier this morning…
Quinn for Illinois spokesman Izabela Miltko issued the below statement regarding new video showing one of Rauner’s top allies making the case that cutting the minimum wage is the best way to help “minority people.” After the comments, Rauner donated more than half a million dollars to the organization, which is currently pushing to eliminate the minimum wage in Illinois.
“Bruce Rauner is not only bankrolling an organization that is currently pushing to eliminate the minimum wage - he is closely aligned with a tycoon who has said that the minimum wage turns ‘minority people’ into gang members.
“Such extreme, bizarre policies and racial stereotypes have no place in Illinois.
“It’s extremely disturbing that Mr. Rauner surrounds himself with these out-of-touch individuals and Tea Party organizations.
“Bruce Rauner owes the people of Illinois an apology. He should immediately renounce these ugly, racist remarks and disassociate himself from the Illinois Policy Institute and its CEO, John Tillman.”
* OK, now here’s the video which started it all. Bruce Rauner was on the podium with Tillman for this 2011 event. Tillman’s remarks in question start at the one hour, 27 minute mark, but you probably should start just a little earlier…
* Transcript provided by the Quinn campaign…
John Tillman: “Think about the minimum wage: they love to talk about how the minimum wage helps poor, disadvantaged, and minority people.
“Think about that video we saw of Jack Roeser’s life earlier and those children walking to St. Elizabeth’s school. You saw those kids on that video. You remember them walking in, some of them were 7, 8, or 9 years old. Imagine those kids when they’re 17, 18, 19 years old walking down the street on the south side of Chicago or the west side of Chicago.
“If we have a low minimum wage so employers can afford to bring in a new employee who’s just learning how to work, developing their skills, trying to get a leg up in life- help wanted signs go out.
“When we raise the minimum wage to $8.25, those kids when they’re 17, or 18 and grown up out of St. Elizabeth’s walk down that same street when they walk by those stores, the help wanted signs are taken away because that employer can’t afford $8.25 an hour.
“So those kids keep walking and they walk and they get to the corner, and what do they find at the corner? They find a member of the gang offering them a job to be a drug runner. Is that the choice we want to make?
“Those kids are our heroes on why a lower minimum wage is better, not a higher minimum wage because it changes those kids’ lives for the worse if you raise it, it improves their life if you lower it.”
* The Rauner campaign wants to remind you of this story from earlier this year…
An outspoken Chicago pastor connected Republicans to the Ku Klux Klan and suggested that GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner stands for “evil,” as he appeared next to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Thursday to give the Democrat his endorsement.
The governor remained silent as the Rev. Walter “Slim” Coleman, a long-time left-wing activist, spoke at his side during a press event where Quinn accepted the endorsement of several mostly African-American clergy members.
But…
Shortly after speeches concluded, Quinn disappeared out the back door of the Chicago Lakeshore Hotel, where the endorsement event was held, without taking questions from reporters. Following inquiries from WBEZ, the governor’s re-election campaign sought to distance itself from Coleman’s comments on Thursday.
Spokeswoman Brooke Anderson told WBEZ that Coleman was invited to speak at the event by another minister, not by the campaign. In a statement Anderson said the governor does not support Coleman’s statements.
“We couldn’t disagree more strongly, and the Governor believes this rhetoric has no place in politics,” Anderson wrote in an email.
So, considering that the WBEZ story is being pushed by the Rauner campaign, it’s probably only fair that they react to Tillman’s video and his later response, right? Or am I missing something here?
- anon - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 10:56 am:
You are right to call Tillman out, Rich. Rauner’s campaign should react to the Tillman video. Since Rauner does not have a plan, it is fair game to take a look at the strange groups he is funding and what their policies are.
- Ghost - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:05 am:
sp the best thing for the work force in to have as many below poverty level people as possible doing work. A good days work will help those people succeed even if they can not afford food or medical care, education, a home or a decent automobile. As long as they are working hard thats is what is best.
meanwhile although people are making less money, there is more money in our economy then every before. it is just all moving to fewer and fewer hands.
- Gooner - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:16 am:
Tillman’s point seems to be that if there are no jobs, kids will join gangs.
I think that basic idea has a great deal of truth.
The problem is the idea that all jobs — no matter the wage — will keep kids out of gangs.
At a certain wage point, the job becomes sort of a farce. People working those jobs are on welfare, so there’s no real difference between working and not working. In fact, those jobs keep kids from pursuing an education.
So while the basic premise has a basis in reality, this guy went too far.
No, I don’t view Tillman (at least from the roughly 6 minutes I watched) to be racist.
I do think he’s like Rauner — completely out of touch.
- wordslinger - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:18 am:
Mr. Policy Institute apparently doesn’t know that 78% of those making the minimum wage are white and that only 24% are teenagers.
So what’s the reason again that he’s talking about young minority workers?
He’s a hack who says whatever his paymasters want to hear.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/19/who-makes-minimum-wage/
- Anon - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:21 am:
When Rauner called for cutting the minimum wage a few months ago, he was accurately reflecting the views of his allies and his party.
- Adam Smith - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:21 am:
The debate on the minimum wage should center on the economic merits of raising or not raising it. Does it stifle jobs or lift the poor out of poverty? Good questions that need thorough discussion.
The noxious distraction from Quinn and the desperation team is to take any such discussion and scream racism.
It is important to point out that not one single person can claim that Tillman’s comments were predicated on anything other than wanting to see those in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and minority communities get out of poverty. There is a legitimate disagreement on the best way to achieve that goal. To turn any policy disagreement into a racial issue is disgusting.
Unfortunately, Quinn and the democrats have been successful with this before and think they can be again.
And, once again, not a word from Quinn about what he has accomplished to help anyone in Illinois. A new low for a bottom-feeding campaign.
- not so simple - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:26 am:
Which “founding principles” is he referring to? Only property owners can vote? Slaves count as 3/5ths of a person? Will enactment of these “founding principles” Bring Back Illinois?
- SonofSuperAbe2014 - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:35 am:
It looks like John Tillman has bigger problems then this video. The 596 page IRS compliant against “Tillman, Inc.” outlines how Tillman made IPI into a money laundering organization that benefits John Tillman.
- walker - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:38 am:
Mr. Tillman’s ignorance about both the people actually working at minimum wage jobs, and the realities of these neighborhoods, needed to be called out. Not especially racist, but remarkably out of touch.
If the minimum wage is lowered, do we assume employers would automatically hire more teenagers? They fill most of these jobs with adults now. Do we assume they would open more businesses and hire more youth in these poorer neighborhoods, ahead of other neighborhoods? Not without some other apparent market advantages. Do we assume there are only two choices for kids in these neighborhoods — minimum wage jobs or gangs? Now that’s some stereotyping.
Mostly pipe dreams, not thought through.
- John A Logan - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:38 am:
The “sainted” minimum wage is being attacked, so the race card is being played. It is a tried and true method of scaring people to the polls, that is what this entire campaign is evolving into. It’s no longer Pat Quinn vs. Bruce Rauner, it is the minimum wage vs. Bruce Rauner. It’s more disturbing because out of an hour and a half long video, they cherry pick 3 seconds and then say that Bruce Rauner is somehow racist? The Quinn campaign should be above this non sense, but I have a feeling that it is going to get much worse before it gets any better.
- Just Observing - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:39 am:
Arguing that a lack of jobs steers kids toward gangs is not racist. One may reasonably disagree with Tillman’s premise that increasing the minimum wage decreases employment opportunities for youth, but that is besides the point.
- Gooner - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:40 am:
Nobody believes Tillman’s comments were predicating on anything other than getting poor people out of poverty?
I sure do.
I think Tillman wants cheap labor and couldn’t care less about the impact on poor people.
If he cared about poor, he would be talking about ways to drive wages up, and not about glorifying bringing wages down.
- AlabamaShake - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 11:46 am:
**Arguing that a lack of jobs steers kids toward gangs is not racist.**
Except that wasn’t the argument, was it? Seems to me the argument was:
A lack of jobs steers MINORITY kids toward gangs.
- Fake Herzog - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 12:43 pm:
Here we go again:
http://american.com/archive/2014/september/the-minimum-wage-can-never-be-high-enough
Meanwhile, on the subject of minority kids specifically — do we really think that lack of jobs has an equal impact in every community? Gangs don’t operate on the street corners of Northfield and Highland Park…yet.
- Wumpus - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 1:35 pm:
Don’t let political correctness ruin a valid point or at least a discussion topic
- SonofSuperAbe2014 - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 1:46 pm:
The link regarding Tillman, Inc. http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/09/03/tillmaninc/tillmaninc.pdf
- justthefacts - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 1:55 pm:
“So those kids keep walking and they walk and they get to the corner, and what do they find at the corner? They find a member of the gang offering them a job to be a drug runner. Is that the choice we want to make?”
Yes, nothing will keep kids out of gangs like giving them the choice of flipping burgers for $3.00/ hour or selling dope for something for more lucrative.
How about funding educational & job training opportunities and giving people a living wage so they dont have to turn to the black market to survive?
This country used to have numerous jewish, irish, and italian gangs until those groups were finally accepted into mainstream american society and given other opportunies.
- Phenomynous - Monday, Sep 8, 14 @ 4:29 pm:
SonofSuperAbe2014,
Lois Lerner is very interested in this info. Please email to her personal email address.