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*** UPDATED x3 - “Of course the Governor supports the board’s decision” *** The race to the bottom continues unabated
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller * Well, here’s a “controversy” I had never heard about until Bruce Rauner’s campaign sent it to me twice today. From an online publication called the Washington Free Beacon…  Wow. That sounds pretty darned serious. * The lede…
* The author claims that “Quinn has repeatedly refused to defend the university” without providing much explanation or any links to stories where he specifically “refused” to answer any questions except for relating this incident…
“Press time”? I didn’t know online publications had press times. Learn something new every day, I suppose. Also, I called the main Quinn campaign number this afternoon and a young, low-level employee answered the phone. He didn’t know anything about the issue, obviously, because he’s just a guy who answers the phone. * The Rauner campaign was more than happy to share its thoughts with the Free Beacon…
Not to make light of this controversy, which I’ve avoided myself because university politics tends to bring out the absolute bat-dung crazy in people (and, frankly, the university is free to withdraw a job offer whenever it wants, so it’s basically a non-issue for me), but I’m guessing that Rauner’s statement didn’t come from the person who answers the phone at Rauner HQ. Just sayin… And while it’s true that Quinn hasn’t been quoted on Sen. Ira Silverstein’s failed proposals to counter the anti U of I boycotts and boycott threats, the governor’s campaign spokesperson, who was his government spokesperson until this summer, told me that nobody has ever asked her or the campaign about the U of I controversy. I asked her to get me a response from Quinn, who was in an SJ-R editorial board meeting when we texted. So, stay tuned for an update. * Also, the U of I seems to be doing pretty well these days…
*** UPDATE 1 *** As mentioned above, the governor is traveling today. His campaign spokesperson sent along a quick statement a while ago with the promise of more info when she has a chance to talk more extensively with Gov. Quinn. I figured I’d go ahead and post the initial statement now to get it out of the way in case tinfoil hats start springing up in comments…
She also pointed out the obvious fact that Quinn appointed the members to the U of I’s board. *** UPDATE 2 *** A bit more from Brooke, via text…
*** UPDATE 3 *** I’m trying not to smirk here…
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- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:34 pm:
Rauner’s desperation is showing.
- Carl Nyberg - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:37 pm:
Rauner is opening this line of attack b/c he knows the media is too cowed by Israel’s supporters to ask him about his support for the racism, war crimes and genocide perpetrated by Israel.
- MrJM - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:38 pm:
If Rauner stays true to form, he’ll double-back and say he supports the Twitterer by Friday afternoon.
– MrJM
- Larry the Cable Guy - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:39 pm:
Just loving these Rauner pivots. If I was Rauner, here would be my new pivot:
Do a commercial about Bruce’s generosity. Include a video of that nice elderly gentleman thanking Bruce for giving him that shell company out of the goodness of his heart. (”Course, I really just wanted the computers. But I got a whole company.”
Now that there would be a pivot.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:43 pm:
Why does Quinn need to say anything? He did not attempt to alter the U of I’s decision that I know, sounds like he was fine with it. Not sure why he would need to talk about it. Desperate.
- Tim Snopes - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:43 pm:
Chris Kennedy, Quinn’s appointment as Board of Trustees chairman, seems to have this well under control.
- From the 'Dale to HP - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:44 pm:
At this rate, we’re about two weeks away from Rauner saying something so dumb that Quinn wins by like 10-12 points. Holy cow that campaign is a mess.
- Soccermom - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:44 pm:
Apart from everything else that’s wrong with this, there was never any “hate speech” at the University (at least, not in this instance.) Salaita never got to Champaign; the University rescinded its offer before he came on board.
- Soccermom - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:45 pm:
Also, some of my best friends — no, make that ALL of my best friends — are Jewish. And I have not heard a single one fretting about this.
Bruce, call me. I can help. For a price.
- Gooner - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:47 pm:
With allegations like this, it will be fascinating to see the level of debate in Springfield if Rauner wins.
Yes Rauner will shake things up. Unfortunately, if he governs as he campaigns, he result will be harsh and baseless accusations and a complete lack of policy substance.
I don’t think that’s the shake up that we need.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:47 pm:
smh. I often wish we had other choices for Governor.
And then I realize we have no one to blame but ourselves.
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:47 pm:
As an aside, just because private donations are up doesn’t mean the University is receiving the funding from public sources that it should. Has the state closed the estimated $400-500m owed to the University a few years back at all?
- Come on man! - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:48 pm:
The reminds me of the attack ad from the movie “Head of State”. ***Mays Gilliam didn’t attend last years fight cancer rally. Mays Gilliam, he’s for cancer*** link is above.
- Tim Snopes - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:50 pm:
It appears that Rauner has a social agenda after all
- Jimmy - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:51 pm:
I don’t think Rauner should be attacking the Kennedy family.
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:53 pm:
I would go ahead and read the rest of the story, but I don’t want to give them the click….
- Jorge - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:54 pm:
I can’t wait for November 5th.
- Soccermom - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:55 pm:
And not to get all technical here, but if it Governor Quinn’s responsibility to comment on things that the University of Illinois does because he has a seat on the Board of Trustees, wouldn’t it be Bruce Rauner’s responsibility to comment on things that happen to companies owned by GCTRauner?
- Jimmy - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:57 pm:
Quinn’s support from Planned Parenthood and Personal PAC must be killing Rauner’s support within in the Jewish community. If he’s working on his “base” vote this late in the game, Rauner is probably toast.
- Big Muddy - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:58 pm:
Good Lord man. Pull yourself together Bruce. Your tactics are horrid right now. Go spend some quiet time in one of your nine homes… and I’m a supporter!
- Nonplussed - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:58 pm:
Rauner is Desperate.
The Editor-in-Chief of this online publication interned or worked at the National Review and Weekly Standard and is married to Bill Kristol’s daughter.
He wrote a book with the title (and I am not kidding): “The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star”
- SAP - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 1:59 pm:
Soccermom @ 1:55. that was brilliant!
- Bill F. - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:03 pm:
Amateurs getting paid like pros.
- Gooner - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:05 pm:
The “let them out of prison” piece? Harold Washington? This?
One of two things has occurred –
1) Rauner planned these moves (minus today) as closing moves to consolidate support; or
2) Rauner’s internal numbers are horrible and he really is desperate.
I’ve mocked people for calling the other side “desperate”, but claiming that Quinn supports anti-Semitism? That really is desperate.
Their internal numbers must be miserable.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:14 pm:
Big trouble in that Rauner communications crew right now. The cannons are off their mounts and heaving across the decks.
Who has the goods to stage an intervention? Big Jim? Chris Christie and the RGA? Because they have been hurting themselves badly every day since that Tribbie poll.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:16 pm:
Bruce, do you want to bring back the Chief too?
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:23 pm:
Wait — Quinn has a seat on the board of U of I?
Ah.
Kinda like how Rauner had a seat on the board while folks died in GTCR’s nursing homes?
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:27 pm:
Yeah, that “seat on the board” argument might not be Rauner’s best play, lol.
- Just Observing - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:27 pm:
This is a ridiculous story. As a Jew who is active in the Jewish and political communities, I have not heard a peep from anyone that they are upset with Quinn for not taking a position on this issue. I’m quite sure that the Free Beacon’s “source” is quite simply a Republican that happens to be Jewish. Personally, I’m quite pleased that UofI rescinded Salaita’s offer; I never gave it any thought, one way or the other, what Quinn thought about it.
- Just Observing - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:30 pm:
@CarlNyberg — At least you are consistent in your hate; you never miss an opportunity to attack Israel.
- Knome Sane - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:33 pm:
The real story here is: there’s Free Bacon in Washington?
- lake county democrat - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:33 pm:
Bacon isn’t kosher.
- Knome Sane - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:35 pm:
=Bacon isn’t kosher.=
Ahh, so there’s your controversy.
- walker - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:35 pm:
This sounds like they made it up out of whole cloth.
- AFSCME Steward - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:35 pm:
““There is a line between academic expression and hateful rhetoric that blames Jews for anti-Semitism,” Rauner said in a statement provided to the Free Beacon. “Salaita crossed that line, and I strongly support the decision made by [University of Illinois] Chancellor [Phyllis] Wise and the Board of Trustees.”
Rauner went on to slam Quinn, who sits on the school’s board, for staying silent in the face of clear anti-Semitic bias.
“What shocks me is that Pat Quinn has been silent on this issue—absolutely silent in the face of hate speech at our state’s flagship university—where the governor has a seat on the board. This isn’t the first time he’s been silent—this is a pattern of silence from Pat Quinn on a core issue,” Rauner said, referring to the governor’s past refusal to back a statewide measure to condemn boycotts of Israel.”
OMG, Rauner actually took a definitive stand on something. Stop the presses !!!!
Now if he would just tell us his position on domestic violence…..
- zatoichi - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:41 pm:
I have not heard Quinn support the new plays used by UofI football. Also did not hear if he made a pledge to WSEC during the most recent pledge drive. His silence on these issues is telling.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:44 pm:
—
Now if he would just tell us his position on domestic violence…..
—
Bruce has no social agenda.
We might, however, wonder why he hasn’t spoken out forcefully against domestic violence? Isn’t this similar to Quinn’s silence on the U of I controversy — and perhaps just as troubling.
Just kidding. Well, no. Serious. But kidding.
- too obvious - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:46 pm:
So Rauner is calling everyone who stood up for the professor an anti-Semite? And there were a LOT of people who stood up for the professor and signed letters etc., both students and professors around the country.
Quinn was just neutral as far as I know.
I think the U of I got this one right, but the people who stood up for the professor had a very credible position, e.g. free speech, academic freedom, etc. I don’t consider them haters. No one did, until Rauner.
And btw, where is Rauner’s statement on the controversy?
Rauner should formally apologize. But I guess this is the kind of thing we should expect from a man who has displayed such a callous disregard of nursing home residents.
- Linebacker II - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:53 pm:
Rauner’s real personality is starting to show through ! Caveat emptor.
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 2:55 pm:
We all know AA isn’t PQ’s biggest fan, but this “attack” is just pathetic. The Nutty Professor was gone, outta there, not gonna happen at the campus level. The Board only became involved to support the Chancellor.
I’m stunned at the level of desperation shown by the Rauner campaign.
OW may win this thing yet.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 3:00 pm:
– “We’re true believers, but we’re also troublemakers, and if you look at the work we do, a lot of it has a sense of humor,” Mr. Goldfarb said. Though he said The Beacon had made a serious investment in its journalism, nonetheless, “We get up every day and say, how do we cause trouble?”–
So says the publisher of the Free Beacon, Michael Goldfarb.
This fun-loving guy, in the past, has leveled thinly-veiled accusations of anti-semitism against Obama as well as The New Republic.
In his defense, he said the New Republic knock was “tongue in cheek.” Because who doesn’t find charges of anti-semitism a barrel of laughs?
When pressed by CNN on his Obama accusation, he just kind of stares into space.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/politics/michael-goldfarb-gleeful-provocateur-at-intersection-of-many-worlds.html?pagewanted=1&hp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Goldfarb_%28political_writer%29#Accusation_of_Anti-Semitism_against_Obama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAtWiioWmwY
- Angel's Sword - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 3:03 pm:
Surely the bottom must be in sight by now?
It actually makes me like Quinn more that he… um… er… didn’t try to use his position to get a university professor fired for the crime of having an opinion? (Question mark emphasized?)
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 3:10 pm:
rosh hashanah to my voter base,shalom bruce
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 3:43 pm:
Okay…timeout.
Bruce Rauner is a partial owner of the Steelers. He was asked about Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Roger Goodell and was then dinged for his slow response. Yeah, that was a bad moment for him, and the Cap Fax universe panned him for it in the voting and in the subsequent comments.
As Rich noted, Pat Quinn appoints the U of I trustees. This is a big issue. The Board sets policy and can cause President Easter and Chancellor Wise heartburn. Governor Quinn warred with President Poshard and Senator Haine over SIU’s Board of Trustees. What makes this situation so much different? What if the Board had not acted in accordance with President Easter’s or Chancellor Wise’s recommendations? Would Governor Quinn have thrown another fit and attempted to stack the board? He already tried it once and, as always, was defiant until the very end.
Sorry - this is apples and apples to me. If Mary Ahern can get a gotcha moment with Bruce Rauner, then the Free Beacon can try for the same thing with Governor Quinn.
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 3:53 pm:
TeamSleep @ 3:43pm “nobody has ever asked her or the campaign about the U of I controversy” Ok, so you’re dinging him for not answering a question that was never asked? Whereas Bruce was asked point-blank about the NFL issue and he explicitly bypassed answering? That’s apples-to-apples?
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 4:09 pm:
Skeptic -
Unless my memory has faltered, there were people who bashed Rauner last week for not answering the question immediately and some (I believe) even dinged him for not being out in front of the issue and making a statement when the NFL problems were going down.
The same could be said for Quinn. He did not provide a more rapid response to the Free Beacon. And - at least IMHO - he should have issued a statement providing support President Easter, Chancellor Wise and the Board.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 4:11 pm:
===He did not provide a more rapid response to the Free Beacon.===
You didn’t even read the post, did you?
Move along.
- Pete - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 4:45 pm:
This one by Rauner is definitely not “al dente”.
- Searchingfortruth - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 5:30 pm:
This continues to be on the front page of the Champaign News Gazette daily. I grant you it is the far left, representative of very few taxpayers, Ivory Tower academic crowd, and a story for whom the interest of most dissipated days ago . . . . but on the front page it remains.
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 5:45 pm:
The Champaign News-Gazette is “far left?” Did I read that right? If so, maybe you should go search for the truth on the legal pot post.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 6:42 pm:
Quinn’s “Rosh Hashanah message would have been much better and certainly more complete if he’d included something about the Land of Lincoln and the Mississippi River.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 6:45 pm:
==Bruce, do you want to bring back the Chief too?==
Hey, I’d vote for that. OskeeWowWow
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 7:19 pm:
The Quinn Rosh Hashanah message is the perfect response. It’s the only one he needed, if he needed any at all.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 7:21 pm:
== more complete if he’d included something about the Land of Lincoln and the Mississippi River ==
Yet no concern over the lack of a plan to “invade and conquer Missouri”?
That question from the twitter session still makes me chuckle.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 7:26 pm:
===Mary Ahern can get a gotcha moment with Bruce ===
That was a gift, not a gotcha. Quit whining about it. Rauner blew it. You wanna keep bringing up how bad his response was, I suppose you can go right ahead, but Rauner blew it.
- Filmmaker Professor - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 8:34 pm:
I supported the Salaita hiring, so I am a Jewish anti-semite. cool.
- Filmmaker Professor - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 8:58 pm:
You are all going to look like Karl Rove on Fox News on election night 2012 when the courts rule that Salaita actually had a binding contract with the University of Illinois, and that they violated his First Amendment rights by firing him for expressing political opinions on his personal Twitter account.
Just keep telling yourselves, “Romney is a lock, Romney is a lock…”
- Responsa - Wednesday, Sep 24, 14 @ 10:11 pm:
==I supported the Salaita hiring==
Would you be willing to say why? In all the news stories it has never really been made clear what unique credentials he has, or what he brought to the table that would justify his hiring at our premier university– and all the accompanying fol de rol around his (at best) higly quirky personality and (at worst) his very poor judgement and lack of filters in comporting himself.