Point and counterpoint on corruption
Tuesday, Sep 9, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From today’s debate we have this coverage in the Sun-Times…
Rauner repeatedly worked to link Quinn and imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, accusing Quinn of doing little to curb patronage and cronyism under his administration:
“The only difference between Pat and Rod is the hair,” Rauner said.
“[Quinn] is part of the same system that’s failed for decades…He, Blagojevich and Madigan, that got us into this mess. I’m gonna get us out.”
Rauner accused Quinn of expanding patronage under his administration, accusing the state’s Central Management Services agency of being a haven for political hires.
“He’s taken no action on it, Why? Because Central Management Services is a cesspool of cronyism and patronage,” Rauner said. “That’s where the machine, Springfield, Democratic patronage workers go. That organization, that bureaucracy is designed to maximize the number of people workin’ in it and the pay of the people workin’ in it. Pat Quinn won’t go after that because that’s the core of his campaign troops…that’s incredibly wasteful.”
* In response, Quinn mainly repeated what he’s already said about IDOT. It wasn’t his fault. It was the IDOT Secretary’s fault. And he mainly counter-attacked Rauner’s business dealings. Tribune…
Quinn maintained Rauner “made a fortune out of the misfortune” of everyday people in companies and nursing homes the challenger’s venture capitalist firm took over. […]
Quinn argued Rauner engaged in “pay to play” as his former firm GTCR got pension business in Pennsylvania and gave political contributions to Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, who said earlier this year he once put in a good word to help Rauner’s private equity firm win pension business following Rauner’s $300,000 donation to Rendell’s campaign fund.
* More on that angle from the SJ-R…
Quinn said Rauner dodged responsibility with companies in which his former investment firm, GTCR, was involved. A criminal investigation found executives at a Michigan-based company falsified financial information to make the company appear more valuable. Rauner stepped down from the board and his firm sold most of its stock — making at least $32 million — shortly before the stock’s value plummeted, the Tribune reported. Investors lost about $285 million.
“This is a classic example of what was said to be one of the biggest accounting frauds in American history. … He ran out the door, took the profits and left all the shareholders and customers and workers holding the bag,” Quinn said.
Thoughts?
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:19 pm:
Same old, same old for both. I thought when Quinn brought up Levine he was pretty darn forceful about it. Rauner also hit hard on his points.
- Mason born - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:19 pm:
Is there something at cms or is rauner seriously having trouble keeping idot straight?
Fair hits by both men. Quinn is stalling in his response. Rauener hasn’t responded.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:23 pm:
===…Because Central Management Services is a cesspool of cronyism and patronage,” Rauner said. “That’s where the machine, Springfield, Democratic patronage workers go. That organization, that bureaucracy is designed to maximize the number of people workin’ in it and the pay of the people workin’ in it. Pat Quinn won’t go after that because that’s the core of his campaign troops…that’s incredibly wasteful.”===
Attention, state workers, Union workers or not;
Bruce Rauner doesn’t like you, thinks you enjoy workin’… in a cesspool … for Democratic cronyism (even if you aren’t a Dem)… and thinks so little of you … that you are chattle, something of an asset/liability hybrid chattle that pensions, jobs, how or what you do, and how you serve the state … it doesn’t matter … you are just “something on the books the state pays for” … and shutting down the state is exactly … what needs to be done.
Exactly right.
Bruce Rauner means it.
Don’t be fooled.
- Chicago Cynic - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:27 pm:
PQ needs to seriously up his game if this is his response. How about:
“In anyone should know about the insiders in Springfield, it’s Bruce Rauner who has received more than XXX,XXX,XXX in pension money from bankrupt state pension funds. Levine, etc.”
- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:28 pm:
Yeah, fair points on both sides. The continued throwing under the campaign bus of the former IDOT Secretary is getting ridiculous though. Quinn said she’s responsible, but he appointed her, and I’ve yet to hear a good response to her charges that HIS office sent all the political hires her way. What about that, Pat?
- circular firing squad - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:33 pm:
Clearly Mitt Rauner cannot take the search and he has flipped and backtracked on every issue.
Hopefully Durkie et al will be smart enough not to get wiped as Rauner rentals and go down in flames. Could be too late
- one of the 35 - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:34 pm:
Attacking the other guy always seems to get better press than talking positively about what you are going to do. Oh never mind, neither one of these guys can lay out a realistic, workable plan.
- LincolnLounger - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:39 pm:
Fair hits by both. Rauner sure nailed CMS. Dead accurate.
- walker - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:46 pm:
This exchange will hurt Quinn more, because it is a former strong point in his public image.
Rauner’s problem is not corruption in his investment holdings. His problem is his lying about policies and numbers. If he cannot do arithmetic, or understand the financial impact of his management decisions, then he really isn’t the business whiz he is claiming to be. That’s the image factor he’s running on.
- Jimmy - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:47 pm:
“A criminal investigation found executives at a Michigan-based company falsified financial information to make the company appear more valuable. Rauner stepped down from the board and his firm sold most of its stock — making at least $32 million — shortly before the stock’s value plummeted, the Tribune reported. Investors lost about $285 million.”
This is the exact same type of flim flam he’s using now to sell himself to Illinois voters. let’s hope he doesn’t wind up in slammer over this shenannigan or his “donation” to Walter Payton high School.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:49 pm:
Practically speaking, patronage is an age old process for rewarding supporters and gaining supporters. It can be unseemly and lead to many problems, which has resulted in reforms through litigation and legislation.
Raunervich will continue this process as well. He may not need to hire as many as others only because he has the ability to reward folks with his enormous checkbook.
- Almost the Weekend - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:49 pm:
=More on that angle from the SJ-R…=
This will be the next commercial Quinn airs. You look at cities like Rockford, Metro East, Danville, Quad Cities people can relate to this.
“…He ran out the door, took the profits and left all the shareholders and customers and workers holding the bag,”
^ That is a great line.
I think the IDOT distraction is insider baseball, and to hard to follow. Especially considering Schneider hired her own step-daughter, so PQ can put 99.9% of the blame on her and make it believable. Rauner’s best bet is the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative because it is something that suburban families in the Chicagoland area can better relate too. The suburbs will decide this race, and will surely bring Quinn’s numbers down.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:53 pm:
–“[Quinn] is part of the same system that’s failed for decades…–
I wonder if that system was failing when Rauner was dropping millions on politicians from both parties.
Obviously, it worked for him, as he did pretty well at the trough.
- Bemused - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:53 pm:
I had to laugh at Bruce going after CMS. Not that he’s wrong, more a case of, will you really change things? For a long time it was the party he now represents that was filling the ranks of state workers. I think some top folks at CMS are still left around from those days. My guess is the GOP rank and file will be clamoring to be back at the top of the hiring list should Bruce make it into office.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 3:53 pm:
CMS’ head count has grown and grown under Blago and Quinn. Some of that can be easily traced to specific programs like the Shared Services that moved head count from agencies to CMS. Some of it, not so much. The Baron really needs names and positions to validate his claim.
If Quinn thinks GTCR was violating its fiduciary duty to the members of the pension funds by making hinky investments, he has had 5 years where he controlled the votes at the boards of the funds to do something about it. Did he? Of course not. He can’t even manage to keep the seats filled.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 4:03 pm:
Quinn has some ammo… but where are these people that were the big losers? Bring them out, parade them around, let them tell us why Bruce Rauner is the biggest fraud of a businessman and candidate. Same with the families of nursing home disasters. Get them with you and out in front of that giant target on you. Make Rauner answer their questions, not yours.
- D.P.Gumby - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 4:08 pm:
Given that the “machine” in Springfield in Republican and plays where ever the wind is blowing…witness Cellini and Blago and Brucie, Brucie better be careful which pot he is calling out.
- MrJM - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 4:25 pm:
“Your mamma is so corrupt, when she sits around the house, she collects three paychecks from CMS!”
“Well, your mamma is so corrupt, it took her two hours to watch 60 minutes’ story about all the people killed in her nursing homes!”
“Well, your mamma…”
– MrJM
- Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 4:30 pm:
MrJM goes yard!
- Paul - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 5:41 pm:
1. Quinn makes the accusation that Rauner gave Ed Rendell a campaign contribution in exchange for Rendell engaging in the official act of directing Pennsylvania pension officials to place funds for investment with Rauners firm.
2. Rendell admits to Quinn’s accusations and the explicit criminal conduct they entail.
3. Why is Quinn dining with Rendell?
4. Why is Rendell not in jail?
- Amalia - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 7:56 pm:
come on Quinn, get out of the weeds! Rauner is part of the “big bank kind of corruption. tossing not small dollars around or small players, but hundreds of thousands of dollars to enrich his business, his own pockets. You let him keep you on the playing field of patronage hack land and you won’t win. Get back onto the Wall Street greed track. cause that is where Rauner lives.
- BigDoggie - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 8:01 pm:
How many buses can the former IDOT secretary support at one time? Quinn has thrown her under about 6 of them now. Quite a guy there - hire her, fire her, and repeatedly blame her for something that was ridiculously obviously his doing. A man of integrity through and through!
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 8:37 pm:
“Paul” you are stating several facts not yet in evidence there, dude. If the quid pro quo was that blatant, Fast Eddie wouldn’t be blabbing about it, especially to help Pat Quinn, who couldn’t get him yesterday’s newspaper.
- Doi Chef - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 10:05 pm:
Seems all forgot that Pat Quinn lied 4 years ago, he lied 2 years ago, and he is lying now. Dems have nothing but to attack Rauner’s wealth. Yep, that should be the goal of Illinoisans — let’s all strive to be under achievers and siphon off taxpayers.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 10:47 pm:
=== Seems all forgot that Pat Quinn lied 4 years ago, he lied 2 years ago, and he is lying now. Dems have nothing but to attack Rauner’s wealth. ===
So Raunervich lied 4 months ago, lied 2 months ago and is lying now. So we’re stuck with 2 liars running for Governor.
So far as what the Dems have to attack Raunervich with, if you read this blog instead of taking orders from his campaign to post silly driveby comments you’d know what they and so many others can attack him with. It goes to his capabilities of governing.
- Hocus Pocus - Tuesday, Sep 9, 14 @ 10:48 pm:
Don’t make any difference, a lifelong democrat, retired state employee, no way would I vote for Quinn, time for him to go
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 6:13 am:
Hocus, while Quinn needs to go, he’s at most a minor demon. When the alternative is the plutocrat of darkness, you have to, unfortunately, get behind the bumbler. Quinn, has, at least made the state’s share of payments to the pension funds while governor. You think that will continue under Rauner?
- Amalia - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 6:43 am:
@Public Servant…. “….plutocrat of darkness,…” awesome!
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 7:22 am:
PublicServant, I thought you were writing in word and AA this time. See your comment at 2:46 pm on 3/26/14.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 7:45 am:
I looked AA, I don’t see anything at 2:46 on 3/26.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 8:04 am:
- AA -, I was counting on your endorsement during my downstate tour. Are you on the trail too?
- Del Clinkton - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 8:23 am:
The downstate prison workers are the Patronage Army for the Republican Party of Illinois and by extension, Bruce (if elected).
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 8:26 am:
Oh I gotcha AA…your in on my second trip to a polling place.
- 32nd Ward Roscoe Village - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 8:30 am:
Heed Oswego Willy’s words above, he nails it.
- DuPage Grandma - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 8:42 am:
- Mason born, CMS approves the Rutan exempt status of positions….not Quinn.
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 8:54 am:
I thought DCEO was the dumping ground for politcal hacks?
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 8:56 am:
“part of the same system that’s failed for decades” Um, more than one decade ago we had a series of Republican governors. So if this has been a problem for “decades” then the R’s are in on it too. Oh, right…1/3 of all the legislators are corrupt too. I forgot. Sorry.
- low level - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 9:38 am:
“Springfield is where the machine, Springfiekd, patronage workers go”.
Oh Bruce get a clue! The machine to the extent it still exists could care less about Springfiekd! For a guy that has made as much money as you have you sure are stupid.
And Willy hits it ok the head again. Any GOPers in the departments mentioned- really think about who you will vote for. Rauner wants you all gone. I love a lot of you guys and you are very loyal but you really need to think this one through.
- low level - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 9:43 am:
Sorry - ok the head again … on the head again should read.
- A Jack - Wednesday, Sep 10, 14 @ 9:55 am:
CMS is certainly bureaucratic, but corrupt? And certainly the Republican Governors squeezed some favorites into positions that were really questionable. I have seen less of it under Quinn than previous governors, but unless Rauner is going to make all positions Rutan, then he is just blowing smoke.