67 Comments - downstate hack - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:14 am: I agree Rich. The economy and the sad state of Illinois government finances even after a 66% tax increase is a real issue Rauner should hit hard. - ThinkTangerine - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:15 am: Maybe they thought “he’s not Pat Quinn” was going to be enough? - How Ironic - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:16 am: @ Downstate Hack, I totally agree, and with Bruce Rauners recently released “Plan to plan a plan” plan to solve the economic woes….oh wait. I’m not even sure he’s planning a plan to formulate a plan to plan a plan to deal with anything. Well, except that he’s going to cut taxes, and expand services. With magic fairy dust his Lt. Gov sprinkles around, while hoping to avoid slipping on something. - Linus - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:17 am: Maybe once you confiscate the Carhartt, the emperor simply has no clothes. Which is pretty remarkable for a guy with closets in nine locations, nationwide. - Shore - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:17 am: Republicans have yet to figure out a way to put democrats on defense on any issue anywhere other than madigan and then to make it hurt. The corruption hits on chicago haven’t stuck because people are used to that. Rauner-Quinn is starting to look a lot like Romney-Obabma with an awkward rich guy thinking he’s got it in the bag just because of the circumstances in the area he’s campaigning and a somewhat well prepared tested democratic officeholder is going to base motivating issues and using his opponents inexperience and public disgust with finance to squeak by. Can we please have a post on best oberweis dairy puns to describe his campaign? Spoiled milk? - Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:17 am: We had this great business where we outsourced to China… oh wait Well, we bought into these nursing homes… oh wait Hmm… there was this thing in the Cayman’s… gosh darn it…. Hey look at me, a billionaire in a Carhartt, I’m just like you! Pat Quinn bad. Bruce Rauner good. Bruce magically fix problems. - Chicago Cynic - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:19 am: Rauner is running a poor general election campaign. I’m truly befuddled - the A team has left the building and it’s now being run by the scrubs apparently. - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:19 am: Has Rauner made a proposal on the state budget that anyone with more brains than Chicago Trib editorial board finds credible? - Belle - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:19 am: Wordslinger and Rich are totally right no matter which side of the fence you sit on. I’m one of those people that could vote against Quinn but would never vote for Rauner. - Nonplussed - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:19 am: The most surprising “Bruce” I’ve seen is the narcissistic Bruce who has to let you know how successful he is, e.g., 0.1%, the wine club, I have never failed at anything, etc. Rauner has this need to make sure you know he is successful, like his ownership of a minority stake in the Steelers. To those in the know, a minority stake in a sports team is worth nothing–you don’t make any decisions. You only have bragging rights. Which is what Rauner wants to make sure you know. He couldn’t help himself but make sure the interviewer knew he wasn’t merely in the top 1%. It is in his narcissistic a-hole DNA. - Living in Machiaville - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:20 am: Have to agree. The Rauner camp better get some positive ads out there. And if there is no biz success story…ugh for them. Then they better start touting a Rauner “big bright vision” for Illinois, such as the “shining light on the hill” thingie. - the Patriot - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:22 am: Obama was elected twice trying to be all things to all people. Bruce is trying the same. The problem is this never works for a republican. Conservatives don’t buy it, and the way to get the middle 20%(which is where you have to win) is to be who you are. People are not going to vote for a republican because they like him. They are going to do it because they trust is who he says he is, and has the guts to make the tough and unsavory decisions we need to be made. Good perspective Word, this is How to lose an election 101, chapter 8 in the IL republican playbook. - better days - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:22 am: Lets see Illinois worse pension deficit of all 50 states .. even after a so called temporary 67 %tax increase Illinois is still broke…Illinois ,Cook County ,Chicago are at bankrupt… Corporate CFOs avoiding hiring increase in Illinois vs. other states.. and on …. now the quibble is about Rauner.s message .. are you kidding ????? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:24 am: Well said - wordslinger -, the measuring stick of us all. Of all the Rauners, the one thing that is missing is indeed the real Rauner, not Bruce’s belief, not Quinn’s belief, but the Rauner that is Bruce. Jim Edgar said it best, if he said it, “I don’t know you.” I know I don’t know him, only what isn’t him, by how he lives, and the contrast Bruce hopes to be seen. I don’t know him. - the Patriot - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:27 am: Unfortunately Rauner is reduced this to a no vote for Quinn. He has failed to spend 50 million to convince us why he is the guy. The problem is that Brady was a nicer guy and lost the don’t vote for Pat referendum. I simply can’t vote for Quinn. I refuse to look people in the eye for four more years and say more cuts to education, DCFS, pensions for people who earned them is acceptable. It has nothing to do with Rauner, but the fact I can’t look people in the eye and tell them that I am ok with them getting hosed for 4 more years without trying something else. - CD - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:28 am: It says something that they can’t even create a misleading feel good story. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:31 am: That’s a great observation by Wordslinger. I knew something was missing from Rauner’s campaign so far, but I’ve had trouble narrowing it down. Once again, Wordsliner is able to chrystallize it in one comment. Well done. And technically, “yesterday’s best comment” was actually written today. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:33 am: ===Illinois ,Cook County ,Chicago are at bankrupt=== I must’ve missed the memo, when were they bankrupt? When did Illinois, Cook County…Chicago… ..,when did they become “bankrupt” Hyperbole is fun, hope you feel better… - Apocalypse Now - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:34 am: Rauner seems to have lost momentum. Let’s see what the next few weeks bring in their ad campaign. - Del Clinkton - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:42 am: Teachers unions are not the problem, sorry Bruce. - RNUG - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:44 am: - better days - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:22 am: Regardless of your feelings on Quinn, he has been chipping away at the both the pension debt and bill backlog. He actually has stopped the slide and started the climb out. IF we stayed the course, it’s going to take 30 - 40 years of that chipping to climb our way out of the hole, about the same time it took to dig it. - A guy... - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:45 am: Here’s to hoping Slinger gets what he’s asking for. - Streator Curmudgeon - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:49 am: When I was watching “The Good Wife” Sunday night, it struck me that Rauner does NOT have anybody like Eli Gold on his team. Despite the millions Bruce is pouring into this campaign, the overriding message is still, “I’m not them.” Sadly, this is resonating with a lot of people. They’re so disgusted with Illinois politics that they think ANYTHING would be better than what we have now. But is that enough to win it? - low level - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:53 am: I have repeatedly alluded to much the same thing. How has he been successful? BEYOND just his bank account? What jobs were created? How do he “start from scratch” as his supporters here have claimed? I thought we’d have heard about this by now myself. Since we’ve heard zilch, I’m forced to conclude it all has been dad helping him get started and numerous state contracts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but if you’re using those qualifications to say you are prepared to be Governor & you will “shake up Springfield” I don’t think that’s quite what the voters are looking for. - Archiesmom - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:53 am: Well and succinctly said. - walker - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:54 am: Word’s question about where’s the beef in Rauner’s claims to business success, is spot on. It is his strongest potential positive, that he has to make real and relevant somehow. They both have to swing more to the economy and jobs now. It underlies all general anti-incumbent feelings. Only Quinn has really done so with the “Ford” ads. Strangely, Quinn’s the only one with a credible specific claim about jobs so far. Still think it’s Rauner’s to lose, right now. - Irked - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:55 am: -better days- Crazy angst alert. We need some alcohol therapy stat! - PublicServant - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:58 am: Wordslinger is, indeed, an outstanding commenter, but, I have to say, RNUG, is pretty concise too. RNUG, your comment at 10:44 is why I’m going to hold my nose and vote for Quinn, because, as Word says, there’s no there, there with businessman bruce. The I’m not Quinn Bruce, even if you have enough money to say that over and over and over again, just ain’t gonna cut it. “Lucy, you got some splainin’ to do”. - John A Logan - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:04 am: Rauner is the Jack Kevorkian of business. He has no home spun business story to tell. He has not run a milk store, a truck service, or a construction company. He has been very shrewd about investing money, but that does not easily translate into a story that can be sold to the average Illinoisan on either side of the political fence. Therefore it has to be all about cheap watches and barn jackets. Would he be better than Quinn. I think so, but only because it would provide some amount of a balance of power between the two parties. - Frenchie Mendoza - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:06 am: If you’re a business person and you can’t tout your positive accomplishments, you fail resume writing 101. One knows — one absolutely knows — that if Rauner received a resume or recommendation without a bullet point list of specific, non-jargon-y accomplishments, he’d chuck it in the trashcan faster than he could say, “Brown Carhartt jacket.” - pundent - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:08 am: This is a real problem for “billionaire” Bruce Rauner as Pat Quinn has defined him. He has become the Montgomery Burns of politics. - the koala - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:09 am: with respect to Rauner’s involvement or lack thereof, either: 1) he was a Director, but breached his fiduciary duty because he “wasn’t involved” 2) he lied and WAS involved because he was a Director sorry, but it cuts against him regardless of what version of his story you choose to accept - Frenchie Mendoza - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:11 am: BTW, the whole “setting goals first, worrying about details later” schtick is silly. You’re running for governor, Bruce. You don’t worry about the details later. You figure them out and run on them. - hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:11 am: This bizarre absence of a job creator narrative for Bruce is an excellent point by wordslinger… one I made myself in comments at least twice in the last couple weeks. But I am fine with wordslinger reaping all the glory because “cheez whiz kids” is such a delightful turn of phrase. - hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:15 am: Haha just noticed in the sidebar the tweet from kerry lester of a senior at a vallas event who keeps slipping and calling him “bruce romney” It really is unfortunate for bruce to be following in mitts footsteps right now with sucha similar name. - Wensicia - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:16 am: I think Republicans have forgotten how to do positive messaging. The “nothing could be worse” than the current office holder isn’t enough, and people (not just reporters) are becoming frustrated with the lack of messaging or details on how Rauner can make things “better” for Illinois. - walker - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:19 am: @better days: You’re getting it perfectly. Why isn’t Rauner pushing the messages you wrote in your own comment? That’s the question here. Maybe that’s his closer, for October. - Big Muddy - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:23 am: Baron VonCarhartt better start articulating a plan or he is going to wake up on Nov 5 a loser, out millions of dollars and have set the GOP back even more decades. People want to be inspired! As of today, he has not. If he offers no positive direction for the future with plans, even framework plans, he’s toast. - Levi - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:23 am: Sure, why not? It worked for Romney, right? - hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:25 am: @wensicia What message is there for Republicans to sell though? Their policy proposals aren’t particularly popular and I’m not sure what state Bruce can point to and say GOP proposals at the state level have made some awesome turnaround. I mean Kansas had the GOP thinktank experiment take over and they got their credit downgraded just the same as Illinois under all Democrats in power. - Keyser Soze - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:39 am: It is puzzling that candidate Rauner hasn’t hard focused on the Illinois economy. What gives? - Anonymous - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:41 am: ==What message is there for Republicans to sell though?== I’ll admit I don’t know. Something like: “Your suffering and decline in living standards will further enrich the wealthy .01%, you know, me and my pals. Buying your way into elected office is an expensive sport.” - DuPage Bard - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:53 am: I get what the problem is but how do you spin: “I’m going to make sure my rich contributors get richer!!!!” That usually doesn’t play well in an ad campaign. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:57 am: Maybe they feel that his business success speaks for itself? If there is one thing people know about Mr. Rauner, it is that he is rich, and they are spending the time on other messages? Or maybe they had some in the can for the close but have decided not to run them with the unemployment rate unexpectedly falling as it has? - Wensicia - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:59 am: Anonymous 11:41 am is me. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 11:59 am: == What message is there for Republicans to sell though? == At this point, the only message you could or should need is “Not Quinn.” Or some variation of “Hope and Change”. - AFSCME Steward - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:28 pm: Chicago Cynic “Rauner is running a poor general election campaign. I’m truly befuddled - the A team has left the building and it’s now being run by the scrubs apparently.” He ran a poor primary campaign as well. He nearly blew a double digit lead in the last 10 days because money opposing him came into play. Rauner’s campaigning has mostly been an attempt to portray himself as the savior of Illinois. It’s been all image, no substance. He market tested a bunch of buzz words and the ran unceasing ads reminding us that he was going to “shake-up Springfield” and get rid of the evil union bosses. His ads were largely uncontested because his opponets didn’t have the resources to respond. As time went on, it became increasingly apparent that the knight in shining armor that Rauner portrays himself to be is a sham. He isn’t an outsider. His business dealings are shadier than anything he accuses Madigan and the Democrats of engaging in. He pretends to be just a regular guy wearing a cheap watch and driving a crappy vehicle, yet owns 9 luxury homestead properties. He has been telling us for the past year he has a plan and would be releasing it soon. For the most part, any plans he has released are either vague or incomplete. Rauner has not run a good political campaign. He has run an advertising campaign, marketing himself as though he were the latest new and improved version of some product that will solvfe all of life’s problems. The wheels are falling off the Rauner express because he has been totally uncredible during his entire year of campaigning. As long as the people didn’t know much about him he could get away with it. As people get to know the real Brucey they are more and more turned off. Rauner cannot win the election portraying himself as the unQuinn, because he is worse than Quinn. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:42 pm: Everything that glitters is not gold. We all need to stop trying to look under Rauner’s rocks for how, exactly, he amassed that success—oops, I mean wealth. If you’re wealthy, as he is, he is a genius at making money. No one needs to know how. We’re just supposed to trust that he can “do well” if elected for all of us. - downstate commissioner - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:49 pm: Have never been a Quinn fan, but like others, CANNOT vote for Rauner. I don’t trust him to honor his “pro-gun” stance if he needs to trade it for something else that benefits HIM. - Ghost - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 12:54 pm: Illinois is not even close to bankrupt…. Illinois just does not want to increase taxes, but that does not mean the State lacks money to tap into. Also our debt to equity is not even close to bankrupt. Since we have lower taxes overall then many States our finacial problem is partially chosen by us. - Ghost - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:19 pm: Rauner has indicated he is going to fix the economy by decreasing taxes, and increasing state spending. If we elect him maybe he can by other States, like indiana and wisconsin; run up there bills and move all the money to IL, and then we will pull out as they collapse…. - Jorge - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:25 pm: What else do you expect from a modern day snake oil salesman? - Geronimo - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:28 pm: ==our financial problem is partially chosen by us= Agree. Travel to surrounding states and see new roads, new housing, expanding communities. Then look at their taxes. Don’t need to be a genius in economics to figure it out. We want, want and want but don’t want to pay for it. - Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:44 pm: Geronimo - Illinois’ budget is being eaten alive by the pension ramp-up, which the surrounding states don’t have. Whatever their faults, they didn’t use funds owed to their pension funds as “free money” like Illinois did. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:02 pm: –Maybe they feel that his business success speaks for itself?– Nothing speaks for itself. If you don’t define yourself, the other guy will do it for you, which is what’s happening now with Rauner’s business record. His business record should have been Rauner’s bread-and-butter play, but instead he messed around with all those goofy props trying to convince people he was Regular Joe. Makes no sense. Right now, the Rauner crew needs to put out the fire on that Medicaid Fraud spot. It’s devastating; specific, and all the charges are made by credible third-party sources — not the Quinn campaign. And it’s Medicaid fraud and elder abuse (seeing a theme here?), which are universally recognized as being in the neighborhood of the lowest of the low. How can you leave that hanging out there for a week without a response? No good answer to that question. If I’m Quinn, I keep running that play til they show that they can stop it. - Geronimo - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:12 pm: Anyone Remember–they used employee/retiree money to pay for goodies for everyone BUT the employees/retirees because there was a shortage of funds to pave roads, build whatever……..the pension funds were stolen because we didn’t raise the revenue to pay for what we needed/wanted. Other states have not had the revenue problem that caused them to steal from employees’ pension funds. They had the ****to raise the revenue to keep up with expenses. - AFSCME Steward - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:13 pm: Wordslinger “How can you leave that hanging out there for a week without a response? No good answer to that question.” How you credibly respond if the charges are true ? I really believe that he thought his image building attempts would win for him. I don’t think he believed that his dealings would be uncovered. I also question if he sees anything wrong with some of the issues that have come out about him. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:20 pm: AFSCME, you have to say something, anything, even if its just “Pat Quinn is lying about me to distract from his record on blah, blah, blah…… When I’m governor, I’ll fight Medicaid fraud and protect seniors. “ - jimbo2600 - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:20 pm: Rauner also wants to outsource more jobs to Maximus where Big Jim Thompson was paid $237,579.00 in 2013. Taking care of friends? - Frenchie Mendoza - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:25 pm: — Maybe they feel that his business success speaks for itself? I — Then tell that self to raise its speaking voice, because I cannot point to one Rauner “success.” At least Romney had the Olympics. Rauner? I haven’t a clue. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:29 pm: == No good answer to that question == It is baffling. And possibly a fatal miscalculation. Rauner should have been inoculated on this front months ago, during the “dark ages” following the primary, yet here we are. - RNUG - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:54 pm: - Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 1:44 pm: The pension ramp-up is basically over … now we just need to keep paying it every year, which we won’t be able to do with the decreased income tax. - RNUG - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 2:57 pm: - PublicServant - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 10:58 am:\ Thanks. I find myself in the same weird position, defending Quinn’s record and probably going to also hold my nose and vote for him while planning to mostly vote GOP down ticket. - 3rd Generation Chicago Native - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 3:45 pm: Wordslinger is right, Bruce wears many hats but the businessman hat. Florida is going after him this may be his biggest shake up yet. - low level - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 4:57 pm: The race has taken me from having to seriously hold my nose to feeling pretty comfortable voting for Quinn. Rauner has made me feel that he would make things much worse. - MrJM - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 5:41 pm: Slightly off-topic: A couple of times a year my wife asks me if I know who some smart commenter on CapFax is — it’s always Wordslinger. A lesser man might get jealous. – MrJM - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 23, 14 @ 6:24 pm: - MrJM -, I always think… We’re all playing for second. If Rauner fails in his bid, this - wordslinger - observation might capture the post- mortem best. The best comments are those when you read them, you think “why didn’t I think of that?” Easy, because here, ya ain’t - wordslinger -. ===A lesser man might get jealous.=== Indeed. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.