111 Comments - Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 9:54 am: Last-minute pandering, denoting a kitchen sink approach and possibly a sense of panic in the candidate. - Jeepster - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 9:55 am: Given the poll numbers, it would make sense but Quinn is probably too much a straight shooter - unlike other Governors (New York, New Jersey) to politicize public health. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 9:57 am: In a word - no. The feds are already pushing back on the state quarantine plans. Quinn is doing things within the power that he possesses, something Rauner apparently doesn’t understand. Somebody should ask Rauner if he would keep the quarantine procedures in place. As for immigration reform, again, it’s a FEDERAL issue. States have tried different things and been slapped down by the courts every time. And I’ve seen Quinn fight for federal disaster relief. I don’t even understand that attack. This drives me nuts and is why I’m not voting for Rauner. He has zero idea what the heck he can do as Governor. - Langhorne - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 9:58 am: Hey bruce, it’s not “foreigners” coming from those countries as much as it is our citizens, ya know, health care workers. - PMcP - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 9:58 am: Meh, all research shows it’s not contagious if you’re not symptomatic. Not to mention, the reason the outbreak is so bad in those countries is due to poor health and sanitation infrastructure. It’s good politics since it polls so high, but the fear-pandering is gross on many levels. - Jorge - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 9:58 am: It wouldn’t do a thing other than appeal to the fear mongers out there. Right Bruce? - Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 9:59 am: Rauner has clearly gotten desperate? Why? Russ Stewart flip-flopped and predicted he would win http://www.russstewart.com/articles/2014/10-29-2014.html - William j Kelly - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:00 am: This has desperation written all over it, rauner is pivoting into desparate loser mode. - Peoria Guy - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:00 am: Both candidates are “desperate”. It is what happens at the end of a campaign. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:02 am: Sorry, there’s nothing here that explains how Quinn has put Illinois at “significant risk” from “foreigners”. - the koala - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:02 am: While a travel ban sounds proactive, it’s actually more dangerous because people can still fly to and from those countries, just not directly. So instead of being able to screen folks in an efficient way (i.e. because they are all coming on a plane from X country with exposure risk) those people are forced to fly through another location to re-enter. A travel ban is form over substance. - MrGrassroots - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:03 am: Yeah, yeah, yeah. If Quinn advocated for a travel ban from West Africa (even though there are no direct flights from there) Rauner would oppose that too. As Groucho Marx once sang, “Whatever it is, I’m against it.” Rauner is for “comprehensive immigration reform.” Perhaps he can influence his friends to bring it to a vote in the House. Aaron Schock comes to mind since they have kissed and made up, politically speaking. After all, Schock is in leadership now. Peter Roskam comes to mind, in spite of the fact he lost his leadership battle. Adam Kinzinger comes to mind. Randy Hultgren comes to mind. But Rauner won’t because he doesn’t mean it. He wants to be governor at any cost. It is also because like his travel ban rhetoric, it is hot air blowing nowhere in particular. - Illannoyed - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:03 am: One can rightly quibble about the efficacy of a travel ban, but the issue polls off the charts. It’s a very popular position to hold. Could a travel ban be enforced at the state level…no. But is it a bad move to be in alignment with public opinion? Not at all. Is it political. Of course. The bigger issue is that it plays into the sense that our institutions are failing and that our leaders don’t seem interested in listening to the public. - Rockford's Finest - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:03 am: Bruce Rauner no likey science. - Slow Down - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:03 am: Just add this nonsense to the long list of meaningless talking points that have defined Rauner’s campaign. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:03 am: And the Tribune posts this paranoia editorial right after Rauner calls for a travel ban, not before? Pandering much? - Peoria Guy - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:04 am: Speaking of Rauner, I heard his wife’s interview on WGN radio this morning. Calm, cool and confident. Some have said she is stiff in the commercials, well not in an interview situation. I was impressed—and yes I know she is not running for office. She was asked if Rauner would ever consider running for President if the gov gig went well. She said absolutely not, not under any circumstances. - Nonplussed - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:04 am: How does the Rauner camp define ” foreigners coming from the three countries” when there are NO direct flights from those countries to the U.S.? Anyone could get around a travel ban and you would never know they were in those countries–that is one of the reasons scientists say a ban is bad - Skeptic - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:05 am: Blago couldn’t legally import vaccines either, and he got kicked out of office (in part) for that. Bruce is in favor of abuse of power? Ok, silly question. - Zach P - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:06 am: Waiting for one credible public health or safety authority to support Rauner on this. One. Rauner joins Scott Walker and RIck Perry. This is a veiled attack on President Obama and the frightening “others” Totally disgusted. - Gooner - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:06 am: Interesting that when he mentions “foreigners” the dog perks up his ears. Must be something people like me can’t hear, but others can. Further, the Trib sure has crossed a line to the extreme right recently. I expect that the next Trib editorial will demand that the President produce the real birth certificate. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:07 am: The GOP is now using Ebola to gin up its voters. What, no more Obamacare, Benghazi, IRS targeting of conservatives, Fast and Furious? It might be working in some states, but will it last, or will it be “Romentum,” as pollster/neuroscientist Sam Wang called Romney’s post-debate-one surge–something that quickly petered out? I heard that a travel ban can harm the fight against Ebola by stopping aid workers from flying to African countries and fighting the virus at its source. - ChrisB - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:07 am: This has to be one of the dumbest “October Surprises” ever. I just don’t understand it. Out of the myriad of issues the Nat’l GOP could use, they choose this one. Truly baffling. And Rauner, not understanding federalism, isn’t helping his cause. - Been There - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:07 am: Langhorne is right. The last thing we need is making if tougher on getting healthcare workers to help out. A bigger risk would be having the epidemic spread even more over in Africa. The best solution is to stop it over there. Putting restrictions on healthcare workers doesn’t work toward that goal. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:08 am: Let’s remember; As a Governor Rauner is jet setting all over the country and the world to get companies to move to Illinois… As a Governor Rauner sits on the floors of both chambers, “twistin’ arms, breakin’ arms” while, according to his closer Ad, working with anyone… As a Governor Rauner negotiates in BAD faith, threatening to shut down the state if he has to… As a Governor Rauner figures out his math doesn’t work in budgetary talks, and the fiscal aspect of a vague agenda is sliced… As all that is going on, at what point will a Governor Rauner realize governing is a “we” thing, not a “Royal We” thing? All this pandering, for me, does is reinforce a premise that bring the Illinois Executive duties and responsibilities are not there to be “shaken up” but to be done within the levers of power that benefit the state first, and last. Choosing a pandering position is not showing leadership or understanding the levers, it’s about the “Royal We” on an issue where states need to work with the Feds, not dictate with an idea the state can dictate. That’s the rub for me, anyway. - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:08 am: “It’s a massive problem,” he said, of the problem that doesn’t exist. Looks like Rauner found his social agenda. Scoundrel time, try to catch a xenophobic wave into the mansion. How did the Army Corps of Engineers get dragged into this nonsense? - The Captain - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:08 am: A travel ban would be pointless, stupid and counterproductive for the healthcare workers who need to be able to travel to the affected areas to combat the disease. But since pointless, stupid and counterproductive is what we do best it seems like the most likely outcome. - Under Further Review - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:08 am: Actually, I find myself in basic agreement with the challenger here. While it is true that the Illinois governor cannot set public health policy, but he absolutely can advocate for the national administration to change its policies. This is a Federal issue, but there would be movement if more governors spoke up. Taken as a whole, the Obama administration’s response to the potential public health crisis has been a source of confusion at best and a demonstration of incompetence at worst. The president and his secretary of defense are not even on the same page in terms of quarantines. Recommended TCM viewings on epidemics: “The Killer That Stalked New York” (small pox) or “Panic in the Streets” (pneumonic plague). There was a time was when the US immigration policy had the protection of public health as one of its priorities. The crisis could be managed if some adults joined in the conversation and common sense prevailed. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:09 am: ==leaders don’t seem interested in listening to the public.== If I were a leader I wouldn’t be interested in public opinion on an issue like this either. - vise77 - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:10 am: Call me old fashioned, but for now I will continue to follow the lead of public health pros, doctors, scientists, etc.–not the politicians who on the side of people who think evolution and global warming are Marxist liberal nazi commie muslim hoaxes or whatever. - ??? - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:10 am: Wow. I didn’t realize that less than 10 cases of Ebola in a country with a population of more of 315 MILLION qualified as a “massive problem.” - ??? - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:12 am: Oh, and to the question - no, I don’t think a travel ban would be effective, for the reasons already mentioned (i.e., people can fly to another “non-Ebola-stricken” country and then fly from there to here.) - Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:12 am: Yes those foreigners from Sierra Leone are going to fly to Chicago. Yes, the place where people live off a dollar a day saved a few grand to buy an airline ticket. Dope. - Economic Justice - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:15 am: Rauner is harping on this because it plays to his FauxNews-watching base. It just wouldn’t resonate as well if he simply encouraged people to get a flu shot, exercise, eat their daily vegetables, and wash their hands properly, which would actually save thousands of lives. - OneMan - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:17 am: kind of torn on this.. If you want to keep it out the most logical (and admittedly blunt force) method would be to restrict the entry of those people coming from places most likely to have been exposed to it. But on the other hand, it seems like that would be overkill. Finally, you could argue that the fact the Ebola Czar has about as much public health and medical experience as I do (I may even have more since I live with a health care professional) that the administration’s view on the ‘problem’ is more governmental than medical. - Under Further Review - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:18 am: The trap for the president is that Ebola fears have placed his executive amnesty and immigration policies under greater scrutiny. Amnesty and open borders poll miserably with everyone other than Luis Gutiérrez, so if heightened security and medical screening is an end result of preventing the spread of Ebola, Obama’s amnesty plan is toast too. - crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:18 am: Sure, he advocates for destructive policies that will cost lives just to pander to science-denying xenophobes…but he’s not like THOSE Republicans… Quacking like a duck to the end. - Soccermom - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:19 am: Sorry, I was going to post earlier, but my dog has been going nuts. He’s running around the house, barking and throwing himself at the windows. It’s like he keeps hearing whistles… - 618662dem - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:19 am: Small ball, right up there with chickens, worst candidate ever. - Commander Norton - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:20 am: Quinn has advocated quite fiercely with the federal government for comprehensive immigration reform, disaster relief and funding for the Corps of Engineers. At this point, both sides are just talking as loud and as fast as they can before the buzzer sounds. - Belle - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:22 am: If ORD was not in the state, this would not even be a topic. But, I’m with Ducky M on this and the others that stated, Western Africa is not a place where people casually decide to take an international jaunt for vacation. Jeez Louise - walker - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:22 am: These words were put in Bruce’s mouth by Kirk’s staff. Fear politics pure and simple. Wouldn’t it speak highly of us if Rauner and his ilk win primarily because of the timing of the Ebola “panic?” It won’t even be a part of the national news two weeks from now. - haverford - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:23 am: Just. so. pathetic. Never thought I’d say this, but I miss Hotdoggate already. Bruce wouldn’t have to dump any more money into his campaign if he could just shut up for the next 6 days (press staff included). - Harry - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:23 am: I’m pretty sure Quinn can’t just forbid entry, but I bet he could declare a public health emergency and enforce a quarantine—that kind of power was written into public health laws everywhere, back when public health was taken seriously. But that’s all beside the point, Rauner is just playing politics in the last few days of a tight race. - VM - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:24 am: Sigh. What desperation from Rauner. He seems to be trying so hard to prove to me that my initial impression of the man (decent, smart, but with whom I disagree on policy) is wrong. Fine, Mr. Rauner, you win: you are clueless, refuse to accept responsibility, and a panderer to the darkest parts of the American political psyche. No, the Governor should not be deciding who gets to enter the US or not. In this case, there is no reason to advocate for barring entry and plenty of (global) public health reasons to allow travel. At the risk of going off topic, would we be talking about travel bans if this epidemic was happening in Iceland or Greenland, countries which happen to be mostly European? - crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:25 am: I cannot wait to vote against Dopey Smurf Kirk. - Sam Weinberg - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:28 am: Since he has never really been able to rally the conservative base on God, guns, or gay marriage, I suppose this issue will have to do. The strong terminology indicates to me that downstate is a real concern for the campaign. - A guy... - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:29 am: There is a clear message being proposed which states “error on the side of caution”. All epidemics start with a few cases. The story is in the news often every single day. In the Chicago area, we are home to one of the busiest international airports in the world. We have an extraordinarily diverse population with visitors coming from every corner of the world. If we were to temporarily not allow persons with visas from those 3 countries, we would not be the first in the world to enact this policy. And, we would not be joining a group of countries known for a lack of civility. I think Pat took a much better position than the President on this. A “better safe than sorry” message isn’t the worst theme to push here. - Motambe - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:29 am: Ignoring this as a psuedo-campaign topic, public safety is not a Democrat- nor Republican-owned issue. We do live in a state with a major international airport, mixing students and business people arriving from numerous African countries with airport employees, who then spread out all over the Chicago region. I believe the federal government does have the means to track new arrivals, ascertaining if those travelers came to the US from Africa via European or other transfer ppoints. And while this may not be a “massive problem” in Illinois or the US, I would say that it is a “massive problem” to the families, villages, and cities impacted by the disease in some African countries. - JS Mill - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:30 am: Not only is it dumb because it is not actually a problem, to have a potential governor acting this way simply sustains a negative national image. That might actually be harmful to our business environment. I would love for someone to ask him if we should ban travelers from NY and TX. That would be fun listening. - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:31 am: Would Gov. Rauner use the power he doesn’t have to ban entry into the United States of “foreign” health professionals and clergy who have been working in West Africa? You know, citizens of European countries? World Health Organization? Physicians sans frontieres? Priests and nuns? - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:32 am: ===Why should we allow them to get visas and come to the United States?=== Bruce, let me help you out. Here’s a little free lesson for you that Senator Kirk must have omitted when he sold you on the whole travel ban thing. Even before Ebola emerged in Sierra Leone and Liberia, it was practically impossible for any citizen there to get a visa to visit the U.S. So your proposed ban would only apply to less than 1/10th of 1% of the people in those countries, the ones wealthy enough to make it through the U.S. visitor visa application process successfully. So first, it is already practically impossible for most Liberians and Sierra Leoneons to legally get to the U.S. Second, at least with the visas still being issued, we have the ability to track people moving about the globe from the affected countries. Placing a ban is only going to scatter them to places like Kenya and Nigeria and Morocco, where they can buy new passports and bribe their way onto international flights. Then we won’t have any idea of who and where they are. Dumb idea on several levels, Bruce, but thanks for exposing yourself as a policy lightweight with xenophobic tendencies. - Under Further Review - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:32 am: There would be less of a controversy if the current administration had handled the crisis in a more effective manner over the past six to eight weeks. Xenophobia does play a part in the Ebola hysteria, but the public need not worry about foreign tourists when the administration had circulated a memo about the benefits of transporting infected patients to the USA for possible treatment. Did anyone in the White House ever consider the wisdom of building emergency medical facilities in the hot zone rather than transporting diseased people to America? It is a hot mess and another indictment of an administration that is losing public confidence daily. I wonder if Quinn ever considered not campaigning with the president given the current environment. - Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:34 am: I’d frankly be more worried if Lou Gramm came back and then we’d be under significant risk of Foreigner. - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:37 am: ===another indictment of an administration that is losing public confidence daily=== How come the U.S. doesn’t have a Surgeon General? Whose fault is that? - Arizona Bob - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:37 am: @PMcP =Meh, all research shows it’s not contagious if you’re not symptomatic.= Not true. There is no hard line between “symptomatic” and “not symptomatic”. A Ebola positive person could have low or no clear fever symptom and still be contagious. Besides this, people coming in lie about their contact with ebola infected people so “self reporting” isn’t reliable,as is the case with them reporting their symptoms. Nigeria showed how to stop this epidemic; isolation of infected areas and infected patients. We’d be fools not to follow that practice, unless there’s some conspiracy about infecting America so that the resources will be spent to find cures. @thecaptain =A travel ban would be pointless, stupid and counterproductive for the healthcare workers who need to be able to travel to the affected areas to combat the disease. But since pointless, stupid and counterproductive is what we do best it seems like the most likely outcome.= So isolation of those who’ve been in contact with people from the infected areas is “pointless” and “stupid”? They’re the HIGHEST risk people as we’ve seen from those treating Ebola both domestically and internationally. American citizens can’t be “banned” but they must be quarantined. Isolation and cleaning up the source of the epidemic AT THE SOURCE is the first rule of epidemeology. do a little reading on the subject before making such a ridiculous statement. @ the koala =While a travel ban sounds proactive, it’s actually more dangerous because people can still fly to and from those countries, just not directly.= The ban is based upon what stamps you’ve had on your passport, NOT direct flights. If you’ve recently been to West African nations, customs will identify that immediately (if they’re doing their jobs) and place you under restrictions. I also doubt that Ebola infected “foreigners” will go to Mexico and have Coyote’s smuggle them in. I understand that most Irish, Asians, Carribeans and Africans here illegally just overstay visitor visas. Only Mexican workers and criminals, central american children, and middle eastern terrorists are smuggled across the Southern border these days. - PolPal56 - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:38 am: He’s dinging Quinn on not doing something Quinn can’t legally do? What happened to real questions about IDOT and NRI? Rauner is really pandering to the lowest levels of base fear now. - Snucka - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:38 am: Those downstate numbers must be looking Grimm. - international traveller - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:39 am: Although a travel ban does seem a bit strict for the amount of cases that have made it to the US, the idea being floated that a non american citizen can just fly to another country and then fly here to avoid the travel ban doesn’t really pass the smell test. Anyone who has gotten a visa to another country or who has been through customs knows that customs has a pretty good idea where you have been in the past month and it takes longer than the ebola incubation period (21 days give or take) to get a visa and travel usually. Also, I don’t think I have a problem with healthcare workers and American citizens returning home being quarantined on site (in the afflicted countries) before they come back to the US, but once they get back then they should be free to go. - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:40 am: A Guy, what don’t you get about states not having power regarding visas? - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:43 am: I can envision Gov. Rauner and Mayor Emanuel teaming up to search your bag for tiny Liberians at the el stop. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:44 am: === What happened to real questions about IDOT and NRI?=== @FakeRonSandack - I’m not allowed to say “who” anymore. I gave up looking like a stooge and said it was mismanaged. #BungledTheBungling To the reasoning of the Rauner response, It’s a dog whistle, it’s a pander, but what is more telling is that all this yapping from the Raunerites that others need to “be quiet and get in line”, it appears Republicans aren’t, and this is indeed neede to “sell” that Bruce can embrace Slytherin dog whistle narratives. - Cook County Commoner - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:45 am: It’s an election. When did truth, science, honor, etc. have anything to do with it. The only issues are whether fear of Ebola concerns likely voters and whether talking about imposing a travel ban, quarantine, isolation turns into votes. - Bluefish - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:45 am: Maybe Bruce should put out another of his “Bring Back Illinois Blueprints” that contains lots of negative statements about Quinn’s handling of Ebola but lack any substance or actual solutions. - The Captain - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:46 am: @ Arizona Bob An ILLINOIS governor HAS no POWER to STOP foreign TRAVEL so SAYING so WOULD be POINTLESS and STUPID. Also AID workers NEED to TRAVEL to AND from THESE countries TO combat THE disease. PREVENTING them FROM doing SO would BE pointless AND stupid. WHY are WE capitalizing RANDOM words? - international traveller - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:46 am: @ 47th Ward: in regards to the surgeon general: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-10-21/we-dont-have-a-surgeon-general-because-democrats-made-a-losing-bet-on-gun-politics Also, it takes longer than the ebola incubation period to get a visa a travel usually so your scenario about the fake passports and bribery onto flights would still take longer than the incubation period. - From the 'Dale to HP - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:46 am: The Trib’s the best. Seriously, the best. They’re all for free trade until they aren’t for free trade. Just when you think they couldn’t be more intellectually dishonest, they go out there and write something more intellectually dishonest. As for Rauner, sure doesn’t sound like a guy who’s winning. But can’t blame him. - MIMI - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:47 am: Rauner is not an Ebola expert nor does he work for the State Department- so he should stick to what he knows best- filing for bankrupcy (120 and counting), & journalist intimidation, and forcing parents to pay $1500 instead of $77 to help their premature babies, and suing environmentalist physicians, He had really bad ideas such for Illinois, such as lowering his taxes and then implement 23 services taxes on the rest of Illinois and eliminating the minimum wage. Let’s get real here, he would outsource all our jobs to these countries if he could. This guy is really desperate. Will he try more voter intimidation before Tuesday, let’s wait and see. - Ghost - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:50 am: “I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure” Ever notice how people want less government and more freedom, until they want to lock up somone else to make themselves feel more comfortable….. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:51 am: “I think its’ a very significant risk. Why should we allow foreigners coming from the three countries where the Ebola virus is widespread? It’s a massive problem. Why should we allow them to get visas and come to the United States? We should do everything we can to protect American citizens, Illinois citizens from this virus.” This is just a very poor answer. Poor choice of words. Poor choice of adjectives. Sloppy. The follow ups answers were a dog’s dinner of issues and statements that just sound incoherent. This Ebola situation at this moment before the General Election has resulted in crazy talk. Worse, we have a White House heckling the majority of Americans favoring some kind of a quarantine, along with White House partisans and supporters playing along. This is just not a respectful way of dialog or discussion over a possibly huge health threat. There is simply no reason to insult Americans concerned over this disease. There is no reason to read into their concern anything political or any motive other than one for public safety and health. We do not know the answers. Dropping trouser and mooning Americans while heckling them is probably a pretty stupid thing to do so close to a Midterm election. Especially when a majority of voters feel that the majority party favors responding to issues by continually insulting them, or by giving the impression that they are not being listened to. If I was a Democratic partisan I would follow Governor Quinn’s respectful take on this issue and stop instigating the opposition. When your political opposition feels that they are not only right, but are right on a sacrosanct issue - and they are ready to vote you out of office. At least be respectful enough to listen and not insult. - Juice - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:53 am: Walker and 47th Ward, I think you have it backwards. All of Senator Kirk’s positions are being dictated by the Rauner campaign at this point, so that when Rauner plays the fear monger card he can simply point to Kirk for legitimacy. But if he really did what to do something meaningful, why not call on Senator Kirk to end the filibuster of the Surgeon General? Because that doesn’t bring out the xenophobes. - not applicable - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:53 am: This would probably have a huge impact if there was actually a case of Ebola in Illinois. There is not. So it is just noise - West Sider - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:53 am: I was about to show off my new “Bruce Rauner model Tin Foil Hat”, but I gotta go help Soccermom- the dogwhistles are torturing her poor pooch! - Gooner - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:58 am: Sure Vanilla, The outrage over 1 person lost has nothing at all to do with the right’s response to foreigners generally or Africa in particularly. There’s no racism or xenophobia here. Nope, they are justifiably absolutely outraged over one person lost. Those right wingers are so pro-life that even one American lost to a virus will get them to protest for weeks. That’s how concerned they are about their fellow Americans. Yeah, that’s it. - Northsider - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 10:58 am: Put yourself in the situation. If you were in an Ebola crisis country–either as a medical professional, a student, or a tourist, and had the means to fly out, wouldn’t you? And if you thought you might be quarantined or sent back if Immigration found out you had been in such a country, would you tell them? Or would you omit that fact when you filled out the immigration card? Before you get all indignant about omitting facts from the immigration card, please ask yourself if you have ever omitted or understated purchases on your immigration card? Ever brought in Havana cigars? Foodstuffs? If you are desperate, you’re likely to lie. And then there’s no way to trace your contacts. This is stupid, illogical, and Mr. Rauner knows better. - RNUG - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:02 am: This line by -Illannoyed- bears repeating: “The bigger issue is that it plays into the sense that our institutions are failing and that our leaders don’t seem interested in listening to the public.” If you stop and think about it, that sentence sums up the feelings that people have that they have lost control of the government. This is part of what helped elect Obama (the hope & change mantra) and what is driving Bruce’s popularity in the polls (hope that Bruce will be better than Quinn). Rauner’s call for a travel ban is just an extension of Bruce playing at being not-Quinn. - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:04 am: This is not how winning campaigns close. Team Rauner knows they aren’t where they need to be. Grabbing onto to anything that floats is what drowning men do to keep from going under. That’s why Rauner’s gone off the deep end on Ebola. It’s a full blown panic. - John A Logan - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:06 am: Gooner, You just had to dust off the racism argument. To top it off you got to use “xenophobia” in a sentence. By golly you sound awfully smart. - Ghost - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:06 am: VanillaMan 1.5 million children died from starvation last year. Not to mention the 800 million starving world wide. THAT is a huge problem. Perhaps we should cover real huge problems, - my two cents - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:07 am: I was at a “townhall” meeting in Palatine where Sen. Kirk, then Rep, told an all white crowd that the Mexicans were swarming over the border (what border, TX? IL? Candad?) to come and take their jobs. Pandering to xenophobes is nothing new but to cite Kirk to give Rauner gravitas has no credibility. - Summer Wind - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:09 am: West Sider- well said and after we help soccer mom lets throw some tin foil William Kelly’s way!!! - Willie Stark - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:11 am: The Trib has gone full circle. Back to the yellow journalism and political agenda of the Col. A great city lacks a worthy paper. And, its website redesign remains as ugly as its editorial voice has become. - Mighty M. Mouse - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:12 am: Rauner is is now truly desperate and being a sub-clinical psychopath lacking ANY conscience he will literally say ANYTHING. Nothing he says can be trusted. But this one is easy. Just ignore Rauner and agree with the CDC. Problem solved! - vibes - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:13 am: “foreigners” = dog whistle to xenophobes. - Anon - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:16 am: Little Bernie Eptonish here Mr. Rauner… - Casual Observer - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:17 am: You don’t go to war without an exit strategy. If you implement a travel ban from these countries, what is the criteria to lift it? - Economic Justice - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:21 am: Interesting to watch: the Rauner camp devolving from an actual campaign into a group of blind-folded children swinging sticks at a political pinata. - Gooner - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:22 am: Sure John Logan. Intense focus on one American death, when it comes from a disease in Africa has no racist or xenophobic component. Sure, John. It is all about the loss of the one soul, isn’t it? Wish I could discuss this further, but there go those dogs again. - Cheswick - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:27 am: It now appears that Bruce Rauner is the one who has fallen off the turnip truck. - 13thone - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:28 am: Does Rauner realize somewhere in his lineage there were foreigners arriving on our shores? Perhaps he believes in his self made man persona so much that he walked out of the sea and just evolved into what he is today, albeit missing a few essential componets, decency, human compassion, the ability to answer a direct question, just to name a few. - crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:33 am: I’m hoping that those of you who say a travel ban sounds smart are just trying to cover for your guy. For anyone interested in learning more about why a travel ban is a destructive idea, info is easy to find. http://time.com/3517197/ebola-frieden-travel-ban/ http://www.vox.com/2014/10/13/6964633/travel-ban-airport-screening-ebola-outbreak-virus/in/5740388 - Soccermom - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:34 am: Economic Justice — I think you’ve got it backward. Rauner has become the pinata, in Axelrod’s brilliant analysis… - vole - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:35 am: Why should we allow such widespread use of antibiotics in livestock that presents a much greater risk via developing antibiotic resistant bacteria that kill far more people than Ebola ever will in the US? Mr Rauner? You got an answer for that? This is an Illinois issue, no? You gonna advocate that with the feds? - train111 - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:40 am: So how come the people who harp loudest about the overreach of the Federal Government are the same ones who harp loudest for that same Federal Government to shield them from the unknown? - Skeptic - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:44 am: @train111 Plus they’re asking the State government to overreach at the same time. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:44 am: I work with people who may be working with Ebola patients and I do not support a travel ban. It’s called science, people. - circularfiringsquad - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:46 am: Mitt and his check grabbers are getting less coherent by the hours. The Ebola Crisis/Scare/Pandemic has been brewing for about a month and Mitt waits to comment until PQ echoes Mitt mentor Christie. Then the checkgrabbers/explainers say a governor should “advocate” Wonder if Mitt called CommandoMakeItUp or any of the IL U.S. House members and suggested they rush back to DC for a vote? - Mighty M. Mouse - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:46 am: ===- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:04 am: This is not how winning campaigns close. Team Rauner knows they aren’t where they need to be. Grabbing onto to anything that floats is what drowning men do to keep from going under. That’s why Rauner’s gone off the deep end on Ebola. It’s a full blown panic.=== +1 Gets right to the heart of the matter. A particularly cogent and succinct analysis. - D.P.Gumby - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 11:56 am: Every time Brucie opens his mouth he displays his incompetence to be governor. As Bugs Bunny used to say, “What a Maroon!” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 12:04 pm: Rauner can’t understand why foreigners would want to come to Illinois. After all, he outsourced all the jobs to their countries. - international traveller - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 12:04 pm: The science of how to stop the spread of ebola: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141024-ebola-nigeria-outbreak-lessons-virus-health/ The left calls it “Isolation” and the right calls it “Quarantine”, then we argue about the semantics of the same idea. Politically its a shrewd move by Rauner. Being on the side of public opinion is never bad optics at the time. - Responsa - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 12:16 pm: Defense Sec. Chuck Hagel just today approved a recommendation by military leaders that all U.S. troops returning from Ebola response missions in West Africa be kept in supervised isolation for 21 days. Hagel called it a 21-day “incubation” period and noted the military will have more Americans in Liberia than any other department. Hagel added that this is also a policy that was discussed in great detail by communities and the families and “they very much wanted a safety valve on this.” http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/hagel-approves-21-day-ebola-quarantine-troops-n236631 - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 12:20 pm: Responsa, so what? Rauner doesn’t want anyone traveling from West Africa allowed in the United States. Presumably, that means anyone who’s been there, as the “risk” would be the same. - Responsa - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 12:31 pm: It’s a news article, Word. It’s news. It involves a change in government policy on ebola. It expands existing quarantine rules and recommendations. It will involve some Illinois soldiers and families. It’s interesting. It mentions public opinion with respect to precautions related to family and associates coming from west Africa. That’s “so what”. Hang in there, guy. The election’s almost over. - walker - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 12:59 pm: Let’s not let the end-of-campaign-madness, which has infected both campaigns, spread to this location. - Norseman - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 1:10 pm: The following link is to a funny comparison between the ridiculous hysteria of the Ebola reporting in the US versus the more subdued and rational reporting in the UK: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdesigntaxi.com%2Fnews%2F370293%2FFunny-Video-Shows-The-Difference-Of-How-The-US-And-UK-Report-Ebola%2Finterstitial.html%2F%3Fv%3D1%26advertiser%3DExternal%26return_url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdesigntaxi.com%252Fnews%252F370293%252FFunny-Video-Shows-The-Difference-Of-How-The-US-And-UK-Report-Ebola%252F%253Futm_source%253Dfeedburner%2526utm_medium%253Dfeed%2526utm_campaign%253DFeed%25253A%252Bdesigntaxi_news%252B%252528TAXI%252BDaily%252BNews%252529%2526interstital_shown%253D1&h=IAQGd1c-S - Left Leaner - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 1:38 pm: Everywhere is more rational than the U.S. on most things lately. It’s sad really. The land of the brave? Ha. My left toe. The land of scared opportunists is more like it. Can we please please please stop talking about Ebola - aside from how we’re addressing it at its roots in Africa? Please. Let this be the last post here today. - OleYellerStain - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 1:47 pm: Outbound travel ban = no problem. That is on the traveler to decide how much risk he or she wants to expose themselves to. INBOUND to the USA should have a outright ban on any visa from the problem countries for travel to the USA period ! - One to the Dome - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 2:29 pm: “Hey bruce, it’s not “foreigners” coming from those countries as much as it is our citizens, ya know, health care workers.” Reminds me when Pres. Bush called US Citizens “refugees” during Katrina - VM - Wednesday, Oct 29, 14 @ 2:43 pm: @international traveller: == in regards to the surgeon general: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-10-21/we-dont-have-a-surgeon-general-because-democrats-made-a-losing-bet-on-gun-politics == Wait, so are you (or the article at least) making the claim that it’s the Democrats’ fault that there is no Surgeon General because they dared cross the NRA? There would be 51 votes for confirmation of Dr. Murthy if a straight vote were allowed. But fine, maybe it’s not the Republicans’ fault there is no Surgeon General. It’s the NRA’s fault. - international traveller - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 11:15 am: @VM : Neither of your scenarios are correct from my perspective. I don’t think it was anyone’s fault, and I don’t think the article lays fault at anyone’s feet either. What I think (and what the article accurately details, I believe) is that we don’t have a Surgeon General because the President made a play that the Senate Dems didn’t back him on because red state Dems balked. It was a political miscalculation, and political miscalculations happen a lot. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.