Quinn moves to second negative track
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* After months of portraying Bruce Rauner as an out of touch rich guy, the Quinn campaign is now turning to how Rauner made his money. From a press release…
An FBI criminal probe that led to a $13 million settlement for Medicaid fraud by a company owned and controlled by GTCRauner is featured in a new ad released Wednesday by the Quinn for Illinois campaign.
APS Healthcare agreed to the settlement after the criminal investigation concluded that the GTCRauner-controlled firm had engaged in defrauding the government for services that were never provided and denied needed care to the most vulnerable.
The settlement on behalf of the Georgia Medicaid program was made in 2011, while Rauner was still chairman of GTCRauner.
The U.S. Attorney overseeing the investigation said that Rauner’s firm not only defrauded taxpayers, but “took Medicaid’s money for itself and left some of our most vulnerable citizens without the aid they deserve.”
GTCRauner sold APS to another company in 2012, which called the firm a $222.3 million lemon as part of a lawsuit in which the Medicaid fraud features prominently. Rauner has refused to take responsibility for business failures like APS, instead choosing to only take the profits.
* The ad…
* Script…
NARRATOR: Bruce Rauner’s healthcare company APS was caught by the FBI defrauding taxpayers and cheating patients.
Rauner’s company had to pay a $13 million settlement.
The U.S. Attorney said Rauner’s company “took Medicaid’s money for itself and left some of our most vulnerable citizens without the aid they deserve.”
Did Bruce Rauner really think no one would find out?
Discuss.
- VM - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 8:53 am:
“Did Bruce Rauner really think no one would find out?”
Sounds like a tag line written by the researcher.
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 8:54 am:
A
Best ad Quinn has had to date.
- Try-4-Truth - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 8:58 am:
Ya know, I was thinking… If this race is essentially even right now (which is suspect it is)all of this negative back and forth plays into Quinn’s hands. No one here is going to increase their “positives”. That train has left the station.
To the ad: I saw it last night and it gave me a little chill. Great ad, home run, it defines Rauner in a whole different way than we’ve seen so far. A+
I wonder if Quinn is going to “close” with Payton Prep? Cast Rauner as an “insider”.
- Mason born - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 8:59 am:
Ad is a solid A.
Quinn needs anything to distract from yesterdays headline of another U.S. Attorney looking into NRI. With the IDOT thing lingering like bad sushi quinn has to make Rauner look even more corrupt then Quinn. (or at least more corrupt than Rauner and the feds can make Quinn look) If there was any Floor to how low the race would go it’s gone now.
- Jimmy - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:04 am:
It’s hard to trust Rauner after that ad. NOT SURE HOW HE CAN RESPOND IN 30 SECONDS OR LESS.
- Peoria guy - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:05 am:
ouch
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:05 am:
Good ad. But - like PQ’s response to the Rauner Van ad - the response ad writes itself (at least if done correctly).
- Walter Mitty - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:09 am:
Great ad. The problem is…the pesky federal probe hanging over. Both sides have there base covered. Evil rich guy narrative. Or third corrupt governor in a row… Which would you have to manage or vote for undecided voters? I say Rauner has the better path.
- Big Joe - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:12 am:
A+ Rauner’s business dealings are the major reason that I have no respect for him. He will do whatever he can to make a buck. Even taking the money that rightfully should go to the care of our most vulnerable senior citizens. Heartless man.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:15 am:
has tainted money been spent by bruce to save illinois from coruption ?
- anon - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:19 am:
Drip, drip, drip…Rauner’s facade is slowly being eroded away, and his exposed innards stink. As others have said, this isn’t event the worst of it. Its like the distant sound of the drums. As they get louder, the sense of the inevitable end becomes clearer. Voters may not understand the nuances of Mr. Rauner’s fiscal dalliances, but they can see the history of a questionable character emerging through these ads. I rate the ad a solid A.
- Kasich Walker, Jr. - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:20 am:
“I’m the nobody that nobody sent.”
Or even asked for.
- Cassandra - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:38 am:
Let me say first that I would never vote for Pat Quinn. But I must say that once again, the Republicans, despite near extinction in Illinois, may have come up with another candidate clunker. Rauner more than anyone else must have known the details of his past business dealings and their potential for a negative effect on his campaign. After all, there was the recent example of Romney on the national stage. And all the over-the-top rhetoric against minimum wage and public employee unions-who told him that was a good idea. I mean, this is a finance guy who spent time in elevated Chicago social circles, which are primarily composed of Democrats these days. Didn’t he listen to what these folks were saying in those cocktail parties and art gallery openings. Didn’t he count the number of Democratic vs. Republican voters in Illinois. Didn’t somebody tell him that the vast majority of voters usually vote by identified party, whatever they may say to the occasional pollster.
If enough Democratic voters stay home and enough independent voters take a throw the bums out approach, Rauner could still win, I suppose. But that wouldn’t be because of Rauner’s campaign, it would be contemporary political winds taking over the race.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:40 am:
Honesty. Integrity. Ethics. Morals.
Attacks the core of what Rauner tries to sell…as a positive.
It’s an “A”.
- Nonplussed - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:42 am:
A. Hits hard. Easy to understand.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:43 am:
More to come. And they’re going to sting, among seniors and their loved ones who take care of and worry about them. Few issues are more emotional.
It’s a real trick bag for Rauner. How do you run as a hands-on successful businessman when your only explanation for bad news is that you didn’t know what was going
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:56 am:
Oof.
- The Dude Abides - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:00 am:
Excellent AD, and it is actually factual. When the story of Rauner’s nursing home scandal first broke earlier this year I thought that this might be the biggest problem he would have if Quinn properly exploited it. There are a lot of Senior citizens out there or people who have loved ones in nursing homes that this AD will resonate with.
- walker - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:02 am:
Very strong. It attacks Rauner’s political raison-d’etre: his achievements as a businessman.
This ad is not about his membership in some “wealthy class.” It is about how Rauner specifically became wealthy.
Rauner team is using the same strategy in attacking Quinn’s “reformist” image, but with the opposite approach.
They have defined a “political class” with he “100 years” ad, as opposed to focusing on Quinn as an individual, with “corruption” specific to him.
The “100 years” is the framing. They will hit Quinn with specifics next month, including any help from Fed statements. Good plan.
This Quinn ad is better than Rauner’s ad this week, and rates an A. But where does Quinn go from here?
- Mason born - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:02 am:
This race is becoming (has been for awhile) which do you detest more Shady Businessman vs. Corrupt Politician. Both sides have locked down theri base on that issue. Quinns side finds the Sahdy Bussiness guy abhorrent and BR side finds the Corrupt Pol disgusting.
The problem for the Quinns camp (IMHO) is the Feds and IDOT. Quinn has to spend resources to paint BR as the Shady Biz, BR is going to get reinforcement of his narrative via an impartial (u.s. Attorney) source add in Quinn can’t can the IDOT guys which looks horrid.
The real question is which narrative are Independents more furious at career pols or shady Biz. Seems this year it may be Carreer pols. Then again how many Oswego Willy’s will simply not vote in Gov race. I wonder how low the total number of votes for Gov will be.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:08 am:
Quinn has subpoenas, Rauner has Federal Criminal Probe Settlements. Just putting it in perspective here…
- MrJM - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:16 am:
“GTCRauner” is worth a ten-thousand “Quinnoquios”.
– MrJM
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:19 am:
I rate the ad an A. It’s short, a bit dark (but not as dark as some future ads might be) and concise.
After learning about Rauner’s business dealings, he is the last person who can call anybody corrupt. This is why in my opinion a candidate like Rauner is the one of the better candidates a scandal-plagued governor can face.
Rauner’s businesses also vindicate the public employees he calls overpaid. It’s ironic and sad that many of these employees help seniors and the disabled by providing them with health insurance, while Rauner’s company, as it relates to this ad, harmed them.
We need to have an honest assessment of how Rauner and/or his companies profited from public money, and what kind of value did these companies provide to those they served and for the taxpayers.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:26 am:
===Then again how many Oswego Willy’s will simply not vote in Gov race.===
Thanks for pointing this out.
I hope it’s understood the mathematical reason, as well as not assisting one of the other;
By under-voting this race, it forces both Crews to work to make their case to get Pluses to vote.
Rauner’s Crew already “thinks” I am with them. Phone calls, mailings, “applications”, that Crew counts on me by counting me.
Quinn’s Crew is counting on the negatives of Rauner to drive the numbers, while trying to stave off Federal investigations and an inept Principle.
They both need to get their Pluses to win. I don’t want to, I can’t, I won’t, vote for the GOP “Blago” and I will not assist or endorse Quinn’s four years with a vote giving it credibility.
I will vote for legislators. I will vote for county races, referendums, ballot initiatives, I will participate in the process of Democracy. It us up to those Crews to get their “guys” over the line to be a Co-Equal partner of the three branches. It’s not up to me, specifically to these very candidates, to this specific race, to aid them.
It’s not a “protest” undervote. It’s not “my vote doesn’t count”, heck I feel the complete opposite, my vote completely matters, and neither will be aided by it, or assisted by supporting the other for spite.
The under-votes percentages with the ballots pulled will be interesting.
- Mason born - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:34 am:
Willy
I don’t think your alone either. I personally, have no data to prove it, think a percentage of state employees will do the same. Vote for local and GA and leave the Gov blank.
It is almost a shame Grimm doesn’t have cash. He might actually have a chance as the not Quinn or Rauner.
- A guy... - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:37 am:
The gloves are off now and this is a high impact ad. It could open the door for medicaid abuse in Illinois coming from the other side. I’m guessing it will and PQ will look like the demon. There’s a more direct line to draw in one vs. the other. The big deal will be how it’s messaged. A challenge. Wish no one was going down this road, but here we are. This one will lead to who’s abusing and killing more seniors. Ugh.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:43 am:
===It could open the door for medicaid abuse in Illinois coming from the other side. I’m guessing it will and PQ will look like the demon.===
The governor was involved in Medicaid fraud?
Rauner’s company? ===The U.S. Attorney said Rauner’s company “took Medicaid’s money for itself and left some of our most vulnerable citizens without the aid they deserve.”===
Right? Exactly right.
- How Ironic - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:50 am:
GTCRauner = Death Panel disguised as Vulture Capitalism
- Left of Central IL - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:52 am:
Classic Joe Slade White. Very effective.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:54 am:
It is an ad for the party faithful.
And an A
- Mighty M. Mouse - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:56 am:
Rauner’s strategy is to paint Quinn as corrupt as well as incompetent; Quinn’s strategy is to show that Rauner cares more about making money than protecting vulnerable people.
Quinn’s advantage is that his ads require no “stretching,” rather, like pulling the low hanging fruit off a tree, Quinn’s ads practically write themselves.
Rauner, by contrast, can make a plausible argument about Quinn’s incompetence, but the corruption he attacks is basically non-existent so he has to make it up and pretend investigations and subpoenas are equivalent to indictments and convictions which, in fact, will probably never materialize.
Quinn’s long-held reputation for honesty and integrity will hold up quite well to Rauner’s stretched attempts to attack it; Rauner has no such reservoir of good will to rely on, plus Quinn’s attacks are much closer to reality, no stretching required.
Conclusion? Rauner is in trouble and the Trib poll is a harbinger of exactly that.
- A guy... - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:57 am:
===VanillaMan - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:54 am:
It is an ad for the party faithful.
And an A===
Amen brother. That’s exactly what it is. Before this issue is beaten to death, we’ll see both of them pushing wheel chairs down stair wells. Comforting, eh?
- Mighty M. Mouse - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:59 am:
To be clear, there may well be indictments and convictions forthcoming, but of others and not of Pat Quinn.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 10:59 am:
===It is an ad for the party faithful.===
Mostly disagree. It’s aimed at independents and shaky Dems and is designed to depress Rauner’s base.
- bindyesq - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 11:04 am:
Taxpayers for Quinn is now running a radio ad on WVON that uses the same “Did Bruce Rauner really think no one would find out?” tagline. That ad deals with the fact that GTCR has no African-American employees, and that Bruce has stated that he just couldn’t find any qualified AA candidates. It would seem that this approach is intended to bring all of the traditional Dem constituencies back into the fold.
- Mason born - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 11:13 am:
Mr. Mouse
–Quinn’s long-held reputation for honesty and integrity will hold up quite well to Rauner’s stretched attempts to attack it; Rauner has no such reservoir of good will to rely on, plus Quinn’s attacks are much closer to reality, no stretching required.–
the problem i see is if Quinn loses that reputation the backlashh against him will be biblical.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 11:26 am:
Good ad, seniors vote and that is the target audience for this ad. This could move the needle a little.
As much as the Rauner folks are going to pound on Quinn for his failures, the business stuff is Rauner’s claim to fame “I have always been successful” apparently he should have added “Other people fail”. It is all he really has and he is vulnerable.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 1:33 pm:
–But where does Quinn go from here?–
More of the same. The nursing home bustouts and wrongful death suits. Lason accounting fraud. Bankrupting the family-run chocolate maker. Who knows what else?
In the run-up to the primary, no one had the time or money (until very late) to explore and exploit GTCRs track record.
That’s not the case now.
And all the known stories tear at the foundation Rauner has tried to build:
– the hands-on businessman (who doesn’t know what’s going on)
– the corruption-buster (whose companies are involved in some very nasty fraud cases)
– the nice regular guy (who busted out the nursing homes).
He took a couple of shots in the primary, but nothing like what’s coming. This isn’t about whether he can take a punch; it’s going to be toe-to-toe body blows from here on out.
- Buzzie - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 1:46 pm:
If Quinn wins there are two words which will once again haunt Illinois Republicans—-Kirk Dillard.
- A guy... - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 3:35 pm:
Sorry Buzzie, I like Kirk alot. Notwithstanding, he couldn’t get to the finals of the ‘cook off’.
The two haunting words are really “Mike Madigan”. If Quinn wins, it will be because the Speaker dragged his politically obese baggage across the finish line. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 7:12 pm:
Let’s hope a plutocrat, trying to act like anything but the outsized government leech that he is, isn’t able to get away with snowing the public, and buying the election, which is the biggest threat to democracy that this country has seen since the civil war.
- Anon - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 9:54 pm:
Words linger said it best. Quinn has the time and money to turn all of Rauner’s strengths into glaring weaknesses. Rauner should prepare to be swift boated.
- Just the Way It Is One - Wednesday, Sep 17, 14 @ 11:39 pm:
BAM!