“Democratic” group raises millions more
Friday, May 1, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rick Pearson…
A billionaire Houston couple heavily involved nationwide in pension and education changes opposed by unions — issues shared by Gov. Bruce Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel — has contributed $5 million to a state political action committee, campaign finance records showed Thursday.
The donation from John and Laura Arnold to IllinoisGO, short for Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity, is the third-largest individual political donation ever recorded by the Illinois State Board of Elections in more than two decades of electronic record keeping. […]
IllinoisGO also said Chicago businessman Matt Hulsizer has made a multimillion dollar contribution to the PAC, though it has not yet been recorded by the State Board of Elections. Hulsizer is co-founder and CEO of Peak6 Investments L.P. and a minority owner of the Minnesota Wild, which plays the Blackhawks in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs beginning Friday.
Hulsizer has given Stand for Children Illinois $474,000 since 2010. He also gave Emanuel $100,000 for the mayor’s 2011 election, $5,300 for Emanuel’s re-election and $5,300 for Rauner’s 2014 campaign for governor.
Not including the Hulsizer contribution, IllinoisGO has reported $6.5 million in campaign contributions so far. It’s widely believed that the group is merely guarding Gov. Rauner’s left flank.
Gov. Rauner, by the way, just contributed $250,000 to his own campaign fund. However, he did not trigger the self-funding limit because that only applies to contributions within twelve months before his next election. Rauner also contributed $250,000 to his Turnaround Illinois PAC, which will get involved in legislative races.
- Not quite a majority - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:23 am:
So we can ‘truck’ in money from Texas, but not union members from one town over. Got it.
- DDR - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:26 am:
It’s gonna be so weird when votes decide elections again.
- Carhartt Representative - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:28 am:
=So we can ‘truck’ in money from Texas, but not union members from one town over. Got it.=
Now you’re ready for Rauner’s Illinois
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:30 am:
It’s going to boil down to money versus message… but when it’s going to top $60 million for Rauner between his own committee, the shill Democratic committee PAC, and the Tournaround PAC… I’d start organizing and beginning a narrative between social services/teachers/all other unions before…well, it’s just about too late.
Elections. Have. Consequences.
Rauner won. He’s consolidating. Can’t blame him.
Co-opting? That’s on the ILGOP GA.
- BlameBruceRauner - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:31 am:
I thought sock puppetry was forbidden, guess not it Bruces World. Trying to get Raunerite - “democrats” elected. Raunercrats - what a joke
- PublicServant - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:32 am:
Exactly right DDR. It’s a hostile takeover of America by the plutocrats.
- chi - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:32 am:
John Arnold is a Democrat like Bernie Sanders is a Repblican.
- Joe M - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:33 am:
I still don’t understand why when local Illinois unions donate money to campaigns to advance middle class working agendas, its special interests and corruption.
But when the wealthy donate money to campaigns to keep wages low and income taxes low, its not.
- Norseman - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:33 am:
The more I see of these large donations from the wealthy the better the idea of public financing for elections looks. Of course, the wealthy would simply use their largesse to finance “issue” ads.
- the Other Anonymous - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:34 am:
That’s a lot of money to buy a state that all the business interests regularly describe as the worst in the nation.
- Wordslinger - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:35 am:
This country is crazy sick with big money in politics. It’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
- zatoichi - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:36 am:
‘”The special interests have got to be stopped,” Rauner told local officials during a speech in rural Livingston County,’ Unless, of course, they give alot of money to groups I like.
- RayRay - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:36 am:
$5 Million? That’s peanuts compared to what the Houston plumber’s union contributed to Chuy’s campaign and the only thing Chuy won was our hearts.
- NewWestSuburbanGOP'er - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:36 am:
I find all of this absolutely disgusting! Money coming into PAC’s and Rauner from multi-millionaires and billionaires WILL change elections in Illinois for years to come. If Rauner and his crew are victorious, this will be the end of worker’s rights, benefits and working conditions in Illinois if not the country. I find it truly unbelievable, that the voters of Illinois are willing to let outsiders decide their fate.
Oswego Willy is correct. Elections have consequences and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:38 am:
“Exactly right DDR. It’s a hostile takeover of America by the plutocrats.”
And just a very few of them, to boot. A literal handful of them have kicked in tens of millions of dollars, while wanting to stop public unions who represent tens of thousands of workers contribute so much less. The unions get the message, and it’s causing members to mobilize.
- Skeptic - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:39 am:
Joe M: The reason you don’t understand it is that you’re living in reality and not Rauner-ality.
- Empty Suit - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:41 am:
Gonna be hard for the Ds to protect all fronts with that kind of cash flowing in.
- Johnnie F. - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:42 am:
A big thank you to all these uber wealthy out of state individuals. They must care so much about the plight of the poor and middle class here in Illinois to get so involved./snark.
- Under Influenced - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:43 am:
Truly shows the “state of the state” if Texas has to help “turn us around”…. (snark)
But seriously, guy has $4 mil to toss around like that, yet we are supposed to be worried about the “boogie man” union boss? Pretty ridiculous my friends.
- Aldyth - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:44 am:
Apparently,Illinois is a valuable enough property that the one percent is willing to spend plenty of money to buy it.
- Under Influenced - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:46 am:
*$5 mil.
- ToughGuy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:47 am:
Whereas we always joked Illinois was for sale, it is not so funny now since it is being sold to billionaires at the expense of everyday working folks
- Ray del Camino - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:48 am:
You just have to look to Kansas to see the eventual outcome of Brucie-nomics. Washington Post just put up a piece detailing how Kansas schools are closing weeks early because they *ran out of money.*
Something’s trickling down, but it ain’t money.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:49 am:
Illinois: The best democracy money can buy!
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:52 am:
The non-Raunerites need to focus on “education” at the micro-politics level.
Rauner wants 30 and 60 Raunerites, a non-autonomous group dedicated to voting the Rauner Agenda.
That’s the goal. That’s it. It’s that simple. A Rauner Caucus in both chambers.
That’s why the 67 GOP GA members were co-opted for the bargain price of $20 million, Rauner is hedging that if he can’t get GOP Majorities in both Chamber, the $20 million, that an alleged GOP Governor raised in a shill group, will be used by that GOP Governor to influence and effect Democratic GA races to win 23 seats, or less, depending on how the Rauner GOP GA does in the later General Election.
Rauner is a Raunerite. Thinking anything other than that is naive to how Rauner operates, and the goals, governmentally, and in this case, politically, Rauner has.
We let a stranger in our house. He’s consolidationg. I would too. He has the means, he has one party already, so making his own Caucuses is just… “Dreaming bigger”…like Rod.
- downstate - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:52 am:
I suppose it’s their money and they can waste, I mean spend it any way they want. But if I had my druthers, I’d encourage that rich couple from Houston to take up golf…and tennis, and horseback riding, and every other activity that their largesse affords them to explore. At least those hobbies don’t impact people’s livelihoods and ability to support themselves in retirement.
What kind of ‘butterfly effect’ world are those folks living in that they think attacking union pensions in a state non-contiguous to their own will have a direct and positive effect on their life?
- illlinifan - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:52 am:
How about using all this money that is being raised to silence the unions for a good purpose….let’s use it to help pay down some of the debt that the state has wracked up.
- Obama's Puppy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 9:55 am:
Drowning in money, what a great way to defend the common man with billionaires cash!
- Mouthy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:02 am:
“Elections have consequences”. I see that here often. The problem is that when you have two bad choices it doesn’t really matter who gets in. Quinn made state employees and retirees the scapegoat and ran the state like a bombastic buffoon. That has consequences too
- LizPhairTax - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:03 am:
Looking forward to all the bedrock Democratic Principles legislation coming from Future State Rep-D (Houston Billionaires) in the 100th GA.
- Anonin' - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:03 am:
Guessin’ nothin’ sez end to corrupt bargains than money from TX….Lookin’ like TeeamBVR is losin’
First they admit to budget blunder than TX cash
- Wordslinger - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:05 am:
Downstate, I guess you didn’t get the memo.
There is a national plutocratic movement to destroy unions.
Once that source of power is destroyed, the only power that will matter will be that derived from Big Money.
Everything else is spin.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:06 am:
- Mouthy -, Quinn winning again would have had consequences too, so I don’t get your point.
Rauner won, this is what we are getting. That’s real.
- Federalist - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:07 am:
Don’t like all of this from either side of the political aisle. Only hope that they will reveal each and every individual contributor. But I am not counting on it.
- Rod - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:08 am:
RayRay just so you know union plumbers in Chicago endorsed Mayor Emanuel. See http://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/7/71/327577/sneed-exclusive-rahm-endorsed-25-labor-unions
- downstate - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:11 am:
Word, I hear you but it seems kinda shortsighted. Who will they have to blame for deficits and blunders without the big bad unions?
- archimedes - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:13 am:
To me, it’s not so much the money being thrown into this. Not even the message from the Ruanerites. It’s the bait and switch that has become the norm for Rauner’s campaign and governing style. The lack of integrity, the making up of stories to justify their goals, the disregard for the truth, the regular use of hyperbole as reality.
Politics is all about competing ideas, thoughts, and policy. The winner gets power to pursue their policies. But those policies are for the good of society - not the powerful.
Not to say that the Dems and Unions didn’t engage in self serving policy themselves when they have had power.
The former is buying their power, the latter derived their power from numbers (people working the election and votes).
- Wordslinger - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:25 am:
Downstate, what makes you think they care about those things?
- VanillaMan - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:27 am:
This is the only way that Governor Rauner is “buy-partisan”.
- walker - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:33 am:
Good salesmen working the national field for Rauner’s PAC. I wonder if they are selling anti-union or education-privatization first in their elevator speech.
Maybe a little bottle of wine as an immediate thank you? Or a trip to a “ranch?”
- Wordslinger - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:37 am:
Just speculating, but I’m guessing this money will go to field a Rauner slate of “progressive Democrats” in the primaries against select incumbents.
The Rev. Meeks is all in for Rauner. I imagine he’s eyeballing that growing pile of money and has some ideas on how he’d like to see it spent.
- Finally Out (and now very glad to be) - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:02 am:
A quick search on John Arnold finds that pension reform is on his agenda too, including donating to the Rhode Island pension reform cause. From their own foundation website:
“Not surprisingly, they’ve laid out an aggressive agenda to realize substantial reforms to pension plans, education, and criminal justice, all in the next decade.”
Hang on campers, rich money is coming in from all over, and in big numbers!
- Norseman - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:20 am:
Check this article out folks:
“How much do the 1% of the 1% control politics?
The elite takeover of American politics
DAILY DATA | APRIL 21, 2015
In 1980, this elite segment of the population contributed a total of 16% of all campaign contributions. Today, it’s over 40% and heading towards 50%. Yes, already, close to HALF the money in American politics is coming from 0.01% of the wealthiest donors - that’s around 25,000 compared to nearly 150 million registered voters.”
https://www.crowdpac.com/blog/the-1-percent-of-the-1-percent
- Anonin' - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:29 am:
Rueters 2013
Mr. Arnold, the founder of Houston-based hedge fund Centaurus Advisors and a former trader at Enron, the defunct energy company, is looking to fund groups supporting ballot initiatives that would scale back what critics regard as overly lavish public employee pension deals.
Gotta love Enron helpers shaping events in IL
Didn’t they help destroy the national economy BEFORE the Bush-Cheney Depression?
- Wordslinger - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 11:37 am:
Norse, it’s sicker than that.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in the 2014 cycle, 100 individuals contributed 60 percent of the $696 million raised by super-pacs. That doesnt include the secret money, but c’mon, who else would want to be secret?
That’s the very definition of plutocracy.
- hot chocolate - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:04 pm:
Correction suggestion: “Governor Rauner, by the way, just contributed $250,000, or one day’s pay, to his own campaign fund.”
- AnonymousOne - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:11 pm:
==who will they blame for deficits?==
Assuming that once the working folks will be earning so little and have no voice to better their plight– more will need help to live, and, of course they will be blamed for everything. Have we seen this scenario in history before? You’d think that a governor would want people working and paying their own bills, to include taxes–take care of their own needs so that the state works well. But he seems intent on wanting everyone to live under bridges, scavenging dumpsters for food. What is his definition of success?
- Mouthy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:21 pm:
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 10:06 am:
Since you also stated electing Quinn would produce consequences too that pretty much makes my point that it was a bad choice no matter which candidate you prefer. Which brings me to my point that not caring who runs for office, an attitude shared by many, has the ultimate consequences of an incompetent government…
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 12:28 pm:
- Mouthy -
We aren’t plastic bags blowing in the wind.
You make choices. I chose not to vote for Rauner or Quinn. Neither earned my vote to lead, but I knew that the consequences either brought would happen, but being engaged in the other races, I feel my votes had impact.
Elections have consequences, my non-vote was a reflection that neither man was worthy of my vote.
That’s doesn’t mean I “give up” or “who cares”
That’s a dorm room mentality.
Voting matters. I chose to vote, and chose not to vote in that race, and prepared for consequences.
- Buzzie - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 1:52 pm:
Unions better starting education; this is no 16-inch softball game.
- Huh? - Friday, May 1, 15 @ 4:08 pm:
“I still don’t understand why when local Illinois unions donate money to campaigns to advance middle class working agendas, its special interests and corruption.
But when the wealthy donate money to campaigns to keep wages low and income taxes low, its not.”
Ever read Orwell’s “1984″? It is called “doublespeak”.