122 Comments - Jeepster - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:30 am: There’s nothing certain in this world except death, taxes and Rauner figuring out a slimy way to make cash. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:31 am: It is a good ad. But it isn’t about reelecting Quinn. It isn’t a Quinn ad. It is an anti-Rauner ad. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:36 am: Wow. The heart monitor beeping is ominous. ===But it isn’t about reelecting Quinn. It isn’t a Quinn ad. It is an anti-Rauner ad.=== Anything that puts Rauner out there as not an option, IS about re-electing Quinn. Going negative is a campaign tactic, no matter how many times you say it isn’t, and how many ways you think it’s doesn’t work. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:37 am: Is this going to run on the airwaves? - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:41 am: It doesn’t tell us what Quinn would have done. It doesn’t tell us how Quinn has helped parents with infants needing this medication. It doesn’t tell us where Quinn stands on government spending to save infants. It doesn’t tell us anything about Pat Quinn, yet this is supposed to be an ad favoring Pat Quinn? It isn’t. It is an ad telling us that Rauner favors profits over life. For a lot of people, that is believable. Based on what it told to us, we have no other reason to not believe what we are told. So, the ad isn’t balanced. It doesn’t sell the candidate intending to benefit from it. It doesn’t create a governing mandate for a candidate. It is nothing but a nasty ad that pokes us in the eye with a nasty bit of news. We all lose with crap like this. This isn’t campaigning. It might make Rauner haters thrilled to see something that spreads the hate around, but how can this kind of crap help Pat Quinn be a governor if he is reelected? It is so short-sighted and so cynical. These are the kinds of campaigns that wreck our state. It doesn’t have to be this way either. When our political mavens believe that winning is everything it seems they are just as bad, and just as unethical, and just as immoral, as the supposed greed they condemn Rauner over. Look at that ad. It comes from the same dark place as the supposed sin they are smearing Bruce Rauner with. This is why negative campaign ads like this is killing our state politics and killing citizen respect. But then, the ugly political players still win their game - make their “profit” - don’t they? - Belle - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:42 am: Old people? Babies? Is there a way for him to scam young people? - GetToTheChopper - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:42 am: YouTube “commercials” are only watched by people who are very into the election and either already like or hate Quinn; these ads don’t change votes. Good ad or not, it’s pointless if it doesn’t hit TV. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:44 am: ===pointless if it doesn’t hit TV.=== It’s on TV. - William j Kelly - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:45 am: So that’s where rauner got all his campaign cash! And here I thought it was all dirty insider Rahm deals, I stand corrected! - Toure's Latte - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:46 am: Like it or not, ad hominem attacks work. Since both parties apparently have nothing positive to say about their guy anymore, time to roll out the big guns and blast away. - Interested observer - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:46 am: Very effective ad! - The Muse - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:47 am: Feeds further into the dialogue I keep hearing from people that Rauner “just seems kind of shady and slimy.” I imagine this will resonate with women. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:48 am: ==This isn’t campaigning.== Yeah, it is. You would be an absolutely horrible campaign advisor. Horrible. You can whine and moan all you want about it (and you do it a lot), but it doesn’t change the reality of campaigns. If you find the unicorn world of politics you are looking for then let us know. You can’t govern unless you WIN. - Living in Machiaville - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:48 am: ….then his company invested in an arms producing business and those guns were used to kill innocent animals, commit armed robberies and very likely kill people….and then his company bought a boat manufacturer and those boats very likely transported drugs into the US where they were sold to the impoverished…and then his company bought another company with ties to Takata, who’s airbags are exploding and killing and maiming….and then…. - Del Clinkton - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:49 am: @vanilla: Bruce -N- Diane are not smearing Quinn? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:49 am: ===So, the ad isn’t balanced=== Ads…aren’t balanced. What, is Frosted Flakes suppose to sell Cheerios? “Frosted Flakes is Grrrreat!, but Cheerios is better for your blood pressure.” Dope. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:54 am: ==It doesn’t create a governing mandate for a candidate.== That is probably one of the dumbest things people say about elections. The only “mandate” a candidate needs is 1 more vote than the other guy. That gives him or her a “mandate” to sit in the big chair. Sitting in that big chair comes with lots of power whether you think it does or not. - OneMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:55 am: At some point you saturate the message that Rauner is an Evil Businessman… - GraduatedCollegeStudent - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:55 am: ===Old people? Babies? Is there a way for him to scam young people? === He’s big on charter schools, right? Otherwise I dunno, does GTCR have anything to do with offering student loans? - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:55 am: You calling me a dope? You want to call me a dope? I believe that you can point out a flaw in an opposing candidate, AND counter by proving a salient positive plus in your candidate at the same time. It would build respect for candidates and the political process. Your ethics on campaigning is as immoral as what you are smearing Rauner over. You are tearing down people in order to win and he is jacking up prices of life saving infant medicine for a profit. You two deserve each other. - anon - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:55 am: In my market, Rauner is dominating the market with quick and what seem to be 20 second, not 30 second, ads. The GOTV effort seems very strong. - Anonymous Retiree - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 8:56 am: Desperate Quinn Cant run on his dismal record, so it is all about smearing Rauner. Quinn has always betrayed himself as the innocent Boy Scout, but I have never seen such desperate negative ads. It should be beneath him, but apparently not. But it is hard to run a commercial that says I raised your taxes, lied about raising them again, spent state money (NRI) to get elected instead of really helping people in crime ridden areas and having the most dismal job creation, bond rating, unemployment and job exodus in the country!!! - Anon - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:00 am: Jeez, VanillaMan got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning… - Donny - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:00 am: ===Your ethics on campaigning is as immoral as what you are smearing Rauner over.=== Yeah, I don’t think mudslinging in a political campaign is on par with defunding nursing homes, jacking up neo-natal drugs, and paying off Stu Levine to direct contracts your way. But hey, I guess I’m just naive. - Union gal - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:01 am: Testy group this morning. All of the campaign negativity must be starting to rub off. - IrishPirate - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:03 am: Politics ain’t beanbag. So many houses. Too many exemptions. Again, not beanbag. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130329/news/703299932 - Anonny - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:03 am: This ad gave me chills. Very effective. I already knew Rauner was a bad, money obsessed billionaire, but this is low. Wow. - North Shore Joe - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:03 am: “Anything” … as in the PQ camp will say literally anything to smear BR? There is a threshold, and I believe its been crossed, where people refuse to believe their state may elect a baby killer. The bigger problem is that PQ unloaded his effective smears too early. On the other side of the coin, BR is closing on an effective positive note. He’s even dropping the “H-word” in his new stuff. (hope). Nice bookend to what has been one hell of a campaign. - Carhart Representative - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:03 am: I’ve said for a long time that nobody wants to vote FOR either candidate. It’s a question of who can get the most people to vote against the other guy. This has been a slimy campaign on both sides and it has been from day one. I feel like this state is like Bedford Falls in It’s a Wonderful Life and while everybody wants George Bailey to be Governor, they’re given a choice between Potter (Rauner) and Uncle Billy (Quinn). I just prefer somewhat incompetent to despicable. - crazybleedingheart - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:03 am: Charter schools for under-18s, fake colleges for people 18-45. - Donny - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:04 am: Anonymous Retiree, Have fun when Rauner’s 401(k) scheme kicks in, since it will bankrupt current retiree’s pensions in about 5 years. “Desperate” is believing that Bruce Rauner will be one iota better than Quinn. His budget would increase the state deficit by $7 Billion, he has flip-flopped on taxes, and his property tax proposal would be disastrous to local school districts. But keep repeating your pro-Rauner refrain, if it helps you sleep at night. - Langhorne - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:05 am: it is a very effective ad. it makes you cringe. you hear it and wonder, can that be true? the quote from the ftc about illegal profits hits hard and gives it legitimacy. premie — $78 — $1,500 — illegal profits the inescapable conclusion is rauner is a despicable individual. anyone on the fence has to hop off toward quinn. - Under Further Review - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:06 am: Pat Quinn has forfeited his claim to be the “Mister Clean” of Illinois politics, but that was never really true to begin with. The worst political ads that I ever saw televised were from California. A municipal dump was opened, so the politicians who approved it were accused of wanting to contaminate the ground water and poison your kids. Using that logic, if you put out the trash or flushed the toilet, you may be guilty of genocide. The hyperbole was that extreme. Bottom line: If Quinn was polling comfortably, there is no way such an ad would be running. Quinn has to be serious trouble to resort to this type of an attack. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:07 am: It’s a heavy ad and helps further define Rauner. Rauner could not even mention one job his companies created, or how his business experience truly benefited people, to counter this stuff. Plus, the Rauner campaign has been trashing Quinn and other politicians in ads, so no tears, please. Speaking of Rauner trashing, Rauner has attacked Springfield politicians for months, but I overheard his TV commercial yesterday, in which he said he would work in a bipartisan manner. This, after figuratively wanting to break arms and calling GA members corrupt? Wow, talk about pandering. This makes Rauner look like a phony, as one or more of you said. - Aldyth - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:07 am: The words Rauner and moral in the same sentence? It’s negative, because it is what it is. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:07 am: ===I believe that you can point out a flaw in an opposing candidate, AND counter by proving a salient positive plus in your candidate at the same time.=== This is a negative Ad, it works. Look how Rauner numbers have plummeted. ===Your ethics on campaigning is as immoral as what you are smearing Rauner over.=== Adams v. Jefferson? Yeah, no negative there, lol - VanillaMan -, stop playing the babe in the woods. - Jose Abreu's next homer - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:08 am: The ad is missing Pat Quinn saying that if the babies survive, Rauner would make sure they don’t get a minimum wage when they enter the work force. - Haverford - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:09 am: I understand VanillaMan’s frustration. He’s talking about an ideal and a politics not based upon voting against someone, but voting for someone. Unfortunately, you go to the voting booth with the system you have. There is nothing to keep the candidates from straight up lying, as Rauner, has done in his positive spots. You can’t have the ideal without it being an actual fact based assessment of both candidates. Which, sadly, the American public doesn’t seem to want to do. As to the ad, pretty good. - SkeptiCal - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:09 am: If you poll people, they overwhelmingly say they hate negative ads. Their behavior, however, is to respond to them when the vote. Both candidates are persuading voters to NOT vote for the other guy. I wonder: Will this lead to voter dissolution such that few will vote? Or will this somehow motivate people to make sure the “bad candidate” does not get elected. Rich, how about a poll on predicting voter turnout? I vote it will be low. - Snucka - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:10 am: VanillaMan only talks about “ideals” when Quinn releases an effective negative ad. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:10 am: The ad is appropriately subdued, but I’m unsurprised that it’s not much stronger. I would have highlighted the Bush appointees to the FTC who used language such as “illegal” and “immoral.” Perhaps the Quinn crew thought the actual facts were so outrageous. — and they are– that they had to tone it down to be believable. Ground-rule double, not a homer. - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:11 am: “I’ll kill your baby if you don’t give me the money I need to validate my ego in an election.” - Knome Sane - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:12 am: If I had time, I would chart the responses to the blog posts here by pro-Rauner/Anti-Quinn faction and the intensity of their posts. I think you’d see a direct correlation between the effectiveness of the ad in question to the severity of the comments bashing Quinn. Just a thought. - Publius - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:13 am: Rauner throws the baby out and keeps the bath water, which he sells to some old mope for lots of money. - Jorge - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:13 am: This ad is equivalent to a body shot to the kidneys by Golovkin. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:13 am: Excuse me, surprised that it’s not much stronger - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:14 am: You guys elected George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich - twice. Yet you think this kind of campaigning isn’t as unethical as jacking up profits? You are as bad as what you accuse Rauner of being. Rauner wants to all the money in the private sector, and you guys want all the money in the public sector - better than that - all the POWER that comes with making all the rules which gets you even more money. You are as bad as he. - Steve - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:14 am: If only Bruce Rauner would have devoted his life to working in the public sector where people rise above self-interest to work for the public good like Mike Madigan, Pat Quinn, and Alderman Ed Burke. Selfless individuals who are motivated by altruism. Wouldn’t Illinois be better off if the entire economy was run by Quinn, Burke , and Madigan? - Skeptic - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:15 am: “Quinn has to be serious trouble to resort to this type of an attack.” Yep, there’s the Raunerbot “Quinn is desperate” card, right on cue. - Snucka - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:16 am: =I think you’d see a direct correlation between the effectiveness of the ad in question to the severity of the comments bashing Quinn. Just a thought.= Bingo. When the Rauner supporters respond to a negative ad by complaining that it’s a negative ad… you know it’s effective. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:16 am: ===You guys elected George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich - twice.=== Who is “you guys”? - Under Further Review - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:17 am: @Oswego Willy: Took a course on Early National American History once upon a time. For slander and libel campaign tactics, we had nothing on the Founders. Washington was a true consensus candidate, but after he retired all bets were off. It was pure defamation when Adams, Burr, Hamilton and Jefferson got down to business. - anonymoose - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:21 am: Quoting from Mr. Hinz article, “The FTC lost the case….. And it (the FTC) lost an appeal. In effect, the judge ruled the two drugs weren’t competing against each other because physicians testified that the effectiveness of each drug, not its price, is what determined usage. And since the two did not share a market, there was no monopoly and no monopoly violation.” Mr. Hinz also pointed out, “Ovation also said at the time that the older drug, Indocin, needed expensive new production facilities if it was to remain a viable product.” A plausible explanation for increasing the drug price. Both sides have produced some of the worst ads leaving out critical pertinent facts. I realize, this is politics. And, if you are explaining you are losing. More of the “Mr. Quinn releasing felons in my neighborhood” ads from the Rauner campaign expected. - Illannoyed - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:21 am: There have been so many ads over the past weeks and months. At this point the negative ads have already inflicted whatever damage they will inflict. Now it’s just noise and over-saturation. People see ads like this and just roll their eyes and tune them out at this stage in the campaign. This stuff, from both sides, is just red meat for partisans at this stage. - Walter Mitty - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:21 am: Well… This ad also has the chance to backfire. A week out… He kills children… Because Quinn has done nothing he can run on…The partisans here can say great all you want… Those undecideds are not going to be swayed by these outrageous claims either… It can backfire… Talk to suburban Mom’s you think they REALLY think a candidate did this? - Hard core R - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:22 am: Under Further Review - You are right on the point. Quinn is for sure behind with his internals or doesn’t run this add. Every Quinn commercial is still negative and most if not all Raunors are positive. Some one is happy with there polling and somebody isn’t. - Skeptic - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:23 am: “You guys elected George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich - twice” What does that say about the opposing candidates? - Knome Sane - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:24 am: =you think they REALLY think a candidate did this?= Candidate, no. Profit driven corporate titan, yes. - Walter Mitty - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:25 am: I think Quinn is in real trouble… If he can’t tell the voters why we SHOULD vote for him with one week left after 6 years… Sorry, the jig is up… - Jeepster - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:25 am: Belle: “Is there a way for him to scam young people?” He’s gotta be in the “private” student loan racket jacking up tuition by loaning to anyone under the sun and going after defaulted students and their co-signer parents. - Put the Fun in unfunded - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:26 am: With Halloween coming it’s looking GRIMM for Rauner… - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:26 am: Who is “you guys”? Supporters of winning at all costs, whether it be profits or political office. It is ridiculous to listen to negative campaigners complaining about the profiteers. They are cut from the same cloth, they just feast at different troughs in hell. - AFSCME Steward - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:26 am: Vanilla Man “You guys elected George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich - twice.” You are aware of the fact that Blago was a Democrat & Ryan a Republican ? - MrJM - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:28 am: “At some point you saturate the message that Rauner is an Evil Businessman…” True, but that happens next Tuesday at 7pm. – MrJM - Tom S - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:30 am: Best attack ad yet by Quinn. They should have run it a couple weeks ago. There is so much political noise on the air right now, I’m not sure these final week haymaker punches are as effective as the campaigns think. - Slow Down - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:31 am: Quinn isn’t calling Rauner a baby killer. To the contrary, Quinn is saying Rauner’s the type of person who is willing to exploit the desperation of the parents of sick babies to make a profit, and frankly, it’s not really all that debatable. - Knome Sane - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:31 am: =If he can’t tell the voters why we SHOULD vote for him with one week left after 6 years… Sorry, the jig is up.= Walter, welcome to Illinois. I see this is your first visit to the rodeo. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:31 am: Walter, why do you choose to ignore Quinn’s positive spots? VMan, why do you choose to ignore Rauners negative spots? And you’re really not going to give us another lecture on making money in the private sector, are you? - Judgment Day - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:33 am: “It doesn’t tell us what Quinn would have done. It doesn’t tell us how Quinn has helped parents with infants needing this medication. It doesn’t tell us where Quinn stands on government spending to save infants.” ——————- Also, there’s nothing illegal about the price increase. And if you think this is the only case of this happening, you’re wrong. What this situation is a great example of is the failure of the FDA regs on pharmaceutical production. Truth is this happened because there’s very little, if any competition for this particular pharmaceutical. And that’s not a good thing. Guess what? If you are the only substantial producer of a particular pharmaceutical, you have an inelastic market and can charge just about what you want. Nothing illegal about it. Now, you could do what the fed’s did with the vaccine makers and put a cap on prices. All that did was drive makers out of the vaccine market to a point where the feds then had to cut both sweetheart sole provider and immunity deals to specific pharmaceutical makers to entice them back into making vaccines. And it’s still a problem area today. In fact, this is an area where the State of Illinois, along with all the other states gets to spend a lot more money than we should. Maybe our fearful leader (Pat Quinn) could get off his high horse and give Dick Durbin a call and tell him to put some heat on both the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA to fast track some of these generics (called ‘large molecule’ generic drugs). If ‘Fearful Leader’ really wants to reduce/limit medicaid costs, having widespread availability of ‘large molecule’ generic drugs would be a substantial cost savings. But that would mean that Pat Quinn would have to do some work, instead of just campaign ads and soundbites…. Pat Quinn - Long on attack ads, miniscule on performance. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:34 am: What does that say about the opposing candidates? Do you think Jim Ryan or Judy Topinka would have been worse than Rod Blagojevich? Do you think Glenn Poshard would have been worse than George Ryan? I support democracy, even when my candidate loses. I support voters, even when I don’t agree with them. I believe in democracy. So, yeah - they lost. They could have been governors and they would have been better than the felons they lost to. Who elected these felons? Not just voters. Political parties. Politicians and political players who actually knew old George and Rod. Excessive profits are immoral. So was renominating and reelecting Rod Blagojevich. That felon was renominated and reelected because of immoral politics. That felon was reelected by voters because of negative campaigning. So, if you can’t see the damage done by negative campaigning, you are as blind as the corporate hack drooling over the excessive profits gained from desperate parents buying infant medicine. - anonymoose - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:35 am: Any chance there is polling that includes the Libertarian candidate and then a respondent favorable to the Libertarian candidate is asked, “Without the Libertarian candidate for Governor, for whom would you vote? Quinn? Rauner? Not vote for Governor?” I’ve talked to a number of friends (there’s a scientific sampling), Dem/Rep and the proportion looking to vote Libertarian seems to draw away a similar number from Quinn and Rauner. - Jeepster - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:38 am: WM: “I think Quinn is in real trouble… If he can’t tell the voters why we SHOULD vote for him with one week left after 6 years.” I know Quinn has increased education funding during an awful budget time and unemployment is going down in Illinois under his watch. All I know about Rauner is that he’s a billionaire that has never created a job and opposes increasing the minimum wage. - IrishPirate - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:39 am: As in most things in life two seconds of “Monty Python” can prove enlightening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra_cUTmQykc This is an effective ad. Will it be enough to keep Lord Bruce of Winnetka out of office? Time will tell. I suspect thought by about 11pm next Tuesday many of Rauner’s supporters looking for a gig in his administration will be updating their resumes. The GOP had a chance to take the Governor’s office. They still have a chance, but if they had nominated a less damaged candidate and someone who could run a disciplined campaign that “chance” would be near certainty. Rauner’s idea of a campaign seems to be “throw money in”–lather rinse repeat—- - Under Further Review - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:40 am: Pat Quinn: “Children, do not take any Halloween candy from that man!” Bruce Rauner: “Candy-gram!” - Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:42 am: anonymoose- So your defense here is that nothing illegal was done? Ok, I’ll grant you that, fair enough. But all I need to know is that a Rauner company raised the price of a life-saving drug for premature infants with heart defects by 1,923%. I don’t care that it wasn’t illegal. It was definitely immoral. As for the rest of the folks complaining about the negativity, please, let me know when Rauner goes 100% positive and maybe I’ll give a rats behind about what y’all think. In the meantime, I don’t because your candidate is just as negative. - How Ironic - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:46 am: The ad is devestating. Specifically to VM, this ISN’T a negative ad. It’s not fabricated, it’s not hyperbole. It’s factual and to the point. You talk about immoral behavior…well here is exhibit A. GTCRauner, “Businessman Brucie” raised the price of a lifesaving baby drug from $77 to $1500. That’s the facts. The voters can now decide if they wish to have that type of person as their gov. Not negative. Factual. - Meanderthal - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:47 am: Very desperate ad. It suggests that when Quinn should be “closing” the sale he is still trying to smear Rauner. Does anyone fact check to see if this stuff is even true? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:47 am: Let’s move along on the debate over negative ads. They exist, they usually work, end of debate. Deletions will follow. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:48 am: VMan, you equate pointing out that someone gouged the price of baby drugs with the actual gouging? Does the SOI provide you with a dictionary at your cube? Look up that word “morality” that you’re throwing around. - Anon - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:49 am: == Speaking of Rauner trashing, Rauner has attacked Springfield politicians for months, but I overheard his TV commercial yesterday, in which he said he would work in a bipartisan manner== Rauner actually had one ad running in the Chicago media market trashing Springfield, then he removed that portion for the downstate buy. Pandering? Absolutely. Also, didn’t help that he has constantly belittled the Sangamon Co Repubs. - Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:49 am: Finally! The Quinn camps best negative ad hands down. Call him slimy, and then show it. And this is slimy. At the very beginning of this election cycle, I didn’t like Rauner. But if I had liked him, I wouldn’t anymore. Seems like people supporting him are governmental masochists; they really want things to be worse. They want to make the government and those working for the government suffer. Because that is what this guy is all about, the suffering of others for his own personal aggrandizement. - anonymoose - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:49 am: Joe - Not illegal but is it immoral? That was exactly the question in the Hinz article. But the ad shows “FTC” and makes it sound illegal. But, you have not addressed point #1 in my note and let me add a few more for good measure. From my note…(1) was it necessary to raise the price to improve the drug? New thoughts for you to ponder… (2) What about the article’s notice that a competing drug cost around $500.00? (3) Was the $77.00 drug priced artificially too low for some reason? the article does not say…I wonder. - AFSCME Steward - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:49 am: Steve “If only Bruce Rauner would have devoted his life to working in the public sector where people rise above self-interest to work for the public good like Mike Madigan, Pat Quinn, and Alderman Ed Burke. Selfless individuals who are motivated by altruism. Wouldn’t Illinois be better off if the entire economy was run by Quinn, Burke , and Madigan?” Really? Have you read the Sun Times Expose about Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism non-profit? How about Rauner, when he was chairman of Choose Chicago appointing Madigan operatives to high paying executive jobs? Any problem with that? Rauner, the outsider, yet has the ability to call Arnie Duncan to clout his daughter into Payton Prep. Apparently Rauner isn’t quite a seperated from Madigan as you want to believe, and maybe is just as corrupt as some of you have been implying about Quinn. - Carl Nyberg - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:50 am: I never cast a ballot for George Ryan or Rod Blagojevich. - i miss illinois - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:50 am: GTFO — Quinn supports late term abortions in the 8th and 9th month. These doctors charge around $1,500 for these later term abortions. He could care less if people profit off of the death of children. At least the parents who paid Rauner’s company $1,500 got to keep their baby alive. - Meanderthal - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:52 am: Another point in Quinn’s hypocrisy is when he got defensive and indignant about the Rauner ad highlighting the horrible deaths of children who were wards of DCFS. Now we get this. I can’t wait for this to be over and Rauner elected Governor. - Knome Sane - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:52 am: =Quinn supports late term abortions in the 8th and 9th month.= Now you’re just making stuff up. And, by the way, do us all a favor and check out Rauner’s position on a woman’s right to choose. - Joe M - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:52 am: Its hard to debate the issues with Rauner when he is so vague and slippery on the issues. And one can’t attack his public office record because he has never held a public office. And many don’t seem to care that what he has proposed doesn’t add up budget wise. So he has to be attacked on what is known about him - what he has done in the business world. - Not OW - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:54 am: Tom S. is spot on: This is the best yet anti-Rauner ad. The nursing home stuff is old and, since it didn’t stick in the primary, there’s no reason for it to stick now (although Quinn, with a real-life person in the ad, has done a much better job of capitalizing on the issue than anyone did in the primary). Beyond being a topic voters haven’t seen before, this one is more effective because anyone who has gotten screwed via ridiculous charges for drugs, which is practically everyone, can relate to it. - Amalia - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:57 am: heavy rotation time. Rauner is shameful. - Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:57 am: Raunerbots pivot, because they’re position is indefensible. Previous to this election, I supported republicans (foolishly) for a very long time. Sometimes you just have to look at the guy and realize he ain’t what you think he is. - Quiet Sage - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:57 am: There’s another, unspoken dimension to Quinn’s ads. He’s tapping into the Occupy ethos, still strong. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:57 am: You are aware of the fact that Blago was a Democrat & Ryan a Republican ? This kind of nuclear negative campaigning crap isn’t a partisan issue. It is destroying all civic ties within our state and poisoning us with its divisiveness. Illinois cannot have a partisan future. It can only have a bipartisan one. This kind of campaigning is as bad as excessive profits. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 9:59 am: ===This kind of nuclear negative campaigning crap isn’t a partisan issue.=== Correct. But it’s time to move along. Final warning. - SarahA29 - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:00 am: As a mother, this ad enrages me. I can’t imagine anyone who has either had children, knows children or loves children wouldn’t be sickened by this. If the Quinn campaign wants to continue with this path of enraging Illinois mothers — I think they could jump all over the fact that Rauner’s company also sold a lice shampoo containing chemicals that are incredibly dangerous to children, lobbied Illinois lawmakers to make sure the children of this state were free to use it and then marketed it to school nurses to ensure they did. If a guy can do these things and still enjoy his $100,000 wine club membership, he can do anything and do it without a conscience. Do I think he can lead my state and do it with the best interests of its people and children at heart? No. Way. - VM - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:02 am: Negative ads have been studied extensively by political scientists. While many say that they are destroying politics, what political scientists have found is that negative ads actually convey important information to voters that is otherwise not available. The reality is that Rauner is running as an experienced businessman who turned companies around, and thus he can turn Illinois around. This spot addresses that very issue. It provides crucial information to voters: just how did Rauner succeed in the one area that he claims is his strength? Moreover, I find it more than a bit disingenuous for Rauner folks to complain that Quinn is not running on his platform. The entire rationale for the Rauner campaign is that he is not Pat Quinn. How many times have you heard, “I’m voting for Rauner because he can’t be worse than Quinn?” (Umm, yes he can!) How is that runnning a positive campaign based on what he will do? The fact is that negative ads are a crucial part of the information that voters need to make an informed decision. Just like negative reviews of a movie or a restaurant help us decide whether to go there, negative campaigning helps us decide whether we want to vote for someone. - VM - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:03 am: ooops, sorry Rich: I was writing this when you posted no more discussion about negative ads and did not see the post. Sorry, feel free to delete. - Under Further Review - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:04 am: I think that Tom S. is correct as to the ad not being well timed. It would have had greater traction if it had run earlier. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:05 am: Ibex watched it two more times, the heart monitor is haunting behind the voice over. It tries to portray a character “flaw” of maximizing profits at the cost of babies, and it does it, in :30 seconds. - Peoria Guy - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:10 am: Well, I voted yesterday and left the governor’s race blank. I couldn’t convince myself to vote for any of the candidates. I have never done that in a statewide election. - AFSCME Steward - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:10 am: Vanilla Man “This kind of nuclear negative campaigning crap isn’t a partisan issue. “It is destroying all civic ties within our state and poisoning us with its divisiveness. Illinois cannot have a partisan future. It can only have a bipartisan one. This kind of campaigning is as bad as excessive profits.” I agree with just about everything you just said there. However, Rauner started out campaigning against everybody he market tested as negative people. Unions, Pat Quinn, even calling 1/3 of the legistators is his own party corrupt. He never discussed issues. Whenever he was questioned about specifics he stated he had a plan and that he would release it later. He ran on his record as a successful businessman. He told us he makes great choices to be leaders. His business record proives this. Yet, when a cascade of negative information came out about his company’s practices, and problems with his chosen leaders, he could produce nothing that demonstrated the claims were false. He even tried to shift responsibility from himself for everything that came out. During the debate he could not identify a single company that he owned that created jobs in Illinois. He pandered for the AA vote, yet couldn’t find a single qualified AA executive for his own companies. Since becoming a candidate, what has Bruce Rauner done to change the divisiveness in Illinois campaigns? - A guy... - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:11 am: If you were going to go in this direction, it should have been done a long time ago. Now it’s in effect saying, you didn’t kill babies, but ransomed them. That’s an over the top message. If you go that way, it’s better to do it early and build on it and put some equity in it. I wish it hadn’t gone this way at all. But I knew it would. Won’t grade it. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:16 am: ===Well, I voted yesterday and left the governor’s race blank. I couldn’t convince myself to vote for any of the candidates.=== Leaving it blank makes both Quinn and Rauner actually earn their pluses. The Crew that gets their pluses wins. The undervote is a lose-lose for them. - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:19 am: The ad doesn’t move me, but that’s because I have very low expectations for drug companies and health care for-profit companies in general. There is something uniquely ignorant that Americans pay $1.00 to for-profit insurance companies for 80 cents of health care services that Germans, Brits, and Canadians pay less than 50 cents. Drug companies make egregious profits off sick people and most Americans must think that’s a good thing. The voters Rauner needs to win probably think the same thing. The ones that don’t are probably not voting this year. - Steve - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:23 am: - AFSCME Steward - Your points are well taken , no doubt. Bruce Rauner earned a lot of money from going political. I’m just making the point that self-interest applies everywhere. Pat Quinn is as self-interested as Bruce Rauner. - the unknown poster - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:31 am: @ Peoria Guy @ 10:10 am Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger regarding your vote. I suspect there may be a lot of undervoting going on this cycle. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:36 am: The undervote I’m curious to see is how many less votes Joe Berrios gets versus Toni Preckwinkle (both unopposed) - Arizona Bob - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:45 am: When an ad tells you about something “terrible” a candidate did, yet can’t identify a SINGLE case where there were real life negative consequences from what’s being attacked, you know it’s a snow job. When old people died and called negligence on nursing homes that GTCR owned, they gave names, dates and places. For this case, they couldn’t give a SINGLE case where a baby couldn’t get the medicine they needed, or that the price increase denied ANYONE the drug. Let’s be honest for a second. The injured party here was the taxpayers footing the bill for Medicaid and the health insurance companies, NOT the sick babies. Brady was destroyed because he “killed puppies”. Will Rauner be destroyed because of a false claim that he “killed babies”? Never bet against the ignorance of the Illinois voter. Quinn’s going to win this thing, and Illinois will get what it deserves. I’ve got all my trust, salary and investment income out of Illinois, and I only have two properties left there. Im Pace Requiescat, Illinois. - Norseman - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:52 am: Very good. I used to quibble about inconsistent end line. But I’m seeing the method in their madness and see it as effective emphasis for the subject matter of the ad. - VM - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 10:52 am: @Arizon Bob: ==”Let’s be honest for a second. The injured party here was the taxpayers footing the bill for Medicaid and the health insurance companies, NOT the sick babies.” Oh, well that makes it all better. Rauner IS qualified to run Illinois. - AFSCME Steward - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 11:06 am: “Will Rauner be destroyed because of a false claim that he “killed babies” Exactly where is this ad does it say that Rauner killed babies? - Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 11:09 am: ==I’ve got all my trust, salary and investment income out of Illinois, and I only have two properties left there. Im Pace Requiescat, Illinois.== Don’t let the door hit you in the rear on the way out. I’d prefer the Illinois haters get out of the state. You bring the rest of us down. Hope you are enjoying the weather in Arizona. Illinois winters stink. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 11:10 am: ==Brady was destroyed because he “killed puppies”.== Yeah. That swung the election. Brady lost because he was a horrible candidate. It was his race to lose and he managed to do so. There are no excuses for him except that he ran a bad campaign. - How Ironic - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 11:12 am: @ Arizona Bob “yet can’t identify a SINGLE case where there were real life negative consequences from what’s being attacked” Really? I’m sure the parents that needed to purchase the drug were absolutely thrilled to learn that the previous $77 drug is now $1500. And you’re comfortable with insurance companies (if they had it…not only insured babies get sick), and medicaid footing the bill? You’re 100% positive that there were zero negative impacts? Really? I think the Arizona sun has gotten to your brain. - Knome Sane - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 11:15 am: =The ad doesn’t move me, but that’s because I have very low expectations for drug companies= Well, based on your name, I assume you’re male. And this ad wasn’t targeted at you. Mrs. Howe might have a different take than you, I suspect. - Stuff Happens - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 11:52 am: I posted this in the wrong thread earlier. I’d like to see Quinn put out some positive ads. Something about job growth, like the Cronus fertilizer plant, the new Amazon facility, Coyote Logistics… - ? of my day - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 12:18 pm: It’s a great ad, could’ve used a Gordon Gecko quote. Also, Bruce on behalf of the Illinois economy thanks for all the $, and for forcing Quinn to pony up as well. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 12:19 pm: === At some point you saturate the message that Rauner is an Evil Businessman…=== You see a diminished return on investment, but at this point both campaigns are looking for a half point anywhere they can find it. This ad hits a slightly different audience that the nursing home ad. And, because it will run unrefuted between now and election day, it really eats at Rauner’s base, too. Folks might have been willing to hold their nose over the nursing home stuff — they will tell themselves accidents happen — but jacking life-saving drug prices from $78 to $1500 is not an accident. - too obvious - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 12:49 pm: If that shower is still open at City Hall maybe John Kass (R - High Horse) can scoot over there and try to wash all the egg off his face. Block out a good chunk of time John. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 1:28 pm: ====You see a diminished return on investment, but at this point both campaigns are looking for a half point anywhere they can find it.==== Exactly, no ads will be home runs at this point. They are looking for infield singles, picking up a vote here and a vote there in a razor close election. - Illinoisvoter - Tuesday, Oct 28, 14 @ 7:58 pm: Lagom. Doesn’t translate well and it’s one of the only Swedish words I remember from my dad but from someone who lost a child it’s why I am going out to buy shoe laces to walk my community door to damn door. - heart mom - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 10:43 pm: I am a mother if a child with congenital heart defects. My mother noticed something that I didn’t notice in this ad…. the hands that are taking care of the baby have no gloves on. The baby they use looks healthy meaning the coloring looks good and healthy on this baby. I know the add is for premature babies but seriously they didn’t do their research to show what it is really like. They spent more time for the political side of this ad than anything. Just a little side note… Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.