60 Comments - Groundhog Day - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:46 am: I completely and strongly disagree, Rich. Dianna Rauner put herself into this governorship by her deceptive endorsement. I have yet to hear a peep out of Rahm’s wife or children. - Johnny Pyle Driver - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:47 am: i can’t stand Rahm, but you’re way off here Rich. Your headline should read “What’s good for the goose is good for the duck.” they’re kinda similar. Both have beaks. But they’re very different. - hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:47 am: Not equivalent in the slightest for me unless Rahm’s daughter starred in ads giving testimonials on her father’s behalf, employs taxpayer-funded staffers earning 6 figures to assist her in her role as mayor’s daughter, or has initiated a public action such as a lawsuit against her father. - A guy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:47 am: He kinda did, in a mealy mouth kinda way. But the Governor and first lady know him. They likely accepted the half hearted effort because they know it probably nearly killed him to do it. It was wrong to pot shot the first lady. But it’s even more wrong to target the Mayor’s daughter. Not excusing the Mayor in the first instance, but wholly behind him in the second one. That was clearly a foul. Paris will pay for that with the Mayor. And others. - phocion - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:49 am: Daughter and boyfriend not equivalent to First Lady. That being said, Rahm was being waaaay too sensitive. Last interview? Really? - Chicago 20 - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:50 am: I also disagree. When Rahm’s daughter is part of the campaign commercials or when Rahm’s daughter sues the City, then the reporters can cross that line. - siriusly - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:51 am: Groundhog is right. Sorry hate to disagree with CapFax, but I think the situations are completely different. Diana Rauner appeared in TV ads endorsing him. She answered questions in the primary and general election about how she could maintain her leadership position at Ounce and be married to the Governor. The issue of a conflict in her two roles exists and is large, it is a public policy issue. It’s open to public debate. As far as I know, the Mayor’s family doesn’t do anything impacting City policies. Giving Diana some courtesy as First Lady is very appropriate, and she needs to be treated with the respect that she deserves. But still not the same thing. - Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:55 am: I agree with previous commenters….apples to oranges. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:56 am: Rich is spot on. Diana Rauner is clearly not going out of her way to be a public figure any more than prior first ladies. Yes, she is the governor’s wife. Yes, she heads an important non profit. But she does not travel the state giving speecehs, doing press pops, or even putting her name on public letters. Her right to privacy is every bit as valid as her predecessors, and she has given no indication of wanting or attempting to change that since her husband took office. - Nieva - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:57 am: So you all are saying a family member should never be mentioned in an interview? The mayor and his family are no different that the Gov. and his. If you are going to put your self out there and be a public official expect questions like these to come up. Next time try something like, thanks for asking but I prefer to keep my family life separate. - Michael Westen - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:57 am: Not close to the same thing. As far as I can tell, Paris wasn’t criticizing the Mayor’s daughter. I get privacy, but she was going with the Mayor to a public event. Fair game to mention it in my view. - Saluki - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:57 am: Rahm needs to chill. What a ridiculous thing to say. - Reality Check - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:58 am: You’re wrong on this one, Miller. Ms. Rauner is the CEO of an organization that did sue the governor, so the mayor’s original statement was correct, *and* even so, the mayor has apologized for any personal offense. - Centennial - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 10:59 am: While I agree Rahm’s daughter is not the same as the First Lady — whose husband has no social agenda. But Rahm lost an opportunity to humanize himself. He should have just made a fatherly crack about daughter’s “friend who is a boy” that he refuses to call a “boyfriend” and left it at that. Tell Paris on the side to keep family out of the discussion. - Annonin' - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:02 am: OMG….did those prepaid lifetime subscriptions just get renewed? Comparing the daughter of a public official to a wife of a public official, who voluntarily holds a high position with a group that is suing her husband, cannot really be compared. There was really nothin’ to apologize about. Now we are guessin’ you will want to let BigBrain and CommandoMakeItUp continue their pretend journey of bein’ against Trump too. - Ahoy! - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:04 am: I am shocked, shocked that Emanuel would be hypocritical. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:04 am: ===Diana Rauner is clearly not going out of her way to be a public figure any more than prior first ladies.=== Hmm. Are you saying Mrs. Rauner is a civilian? Just so I know… - A Modest Proposal - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:05 am: Seems like a good poll question could be asked about this. - Chicago PR Guy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:07 am: Paris is a pretty decent guy. If he crossed a line he wasn’t doing it to tweek the Mayor and he probably wasn’t doing it consciously. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:07 am: I agree completely with Rich about families and spouses being off limits. Mrs Rauner has a very low profile and Rahm to his credit apologized for the personal nature of his remarks. I think a big reason why we have such a poor group of leaders especially at the national level is the unwillingness of so many of our potential leaders to have their families deal with the fallout of running for higher office. Mitch Daniels is one such capable leader with a great track record who rejected the chance for higher office based on the wishes of his family. Who can blame him? - Gone, but not forgotten - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:10 am: Sheeesh! I agree with Centennial @10:59. Rahm is rather thin-skinned and being ridiculous. He’s not the only father in the world who doesn’t want to see his little girl grow up, but he can’t stop it from happening. Wait until she tells him that she doesn’t want him along, and no more family vacations for her, she’s off to her own adventures! - siriusly - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:10 am: She does not have a low profile. She is the one who told us all about Bruce’s agenda. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:10 am: ===Mrs Rauner has a very low profile=== Is Diana Rauner a civilian? These defenses of her role… Hmm. - Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:11 am: Rahm’s daughter is not in the same category of off limits as the First Lady. That said, he did overreact and could have handled the issue much more calmly and rationally. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:12 am: When is the last time you heard her speak publicly? Over 18 months ago? - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:12 am: ==Are you saying Mrs. Rauner is a civilian?== Are you saying Mrs Rauner and spouses are public figures on par with the Governor, Mayor, and individuals who choose to run for elected offices? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:13 am: Look, if the mayor is that hyper sensitive about his own family, he ought to show more sensitivity about others’ families. That’s all I’m saying here. Nothing more, nothing less. Some of y’all can bite me. - Handle Bar Mustache - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:14 am: Diana Rauner dragged herself into the political debate a long time ago. Come on, Rich. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:15 am: THIRD time… Is Diana Rauner a civilian? That’s Diana Rauner. Thanks. - Just Me - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:16 am: I felt bad for Paris. In the interview the Mayor talked about taking his daughter to the soccer game, and it was obvious that Paris accidentally said the part about her boyfriend when he was trying to end the interview, which he then acknowledged that was supposed to be off the record and it slipped out. - Altgeld's Ghost - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:17 am: Its a frickin soccer game. Rahm is just such a control freak he acts as if bringing up going to a soccer game with his daughter is a big deal. Get a life. He sure could learn a lot about how to deal with family questions from President Obama - Keyser Soze - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:19 am: In this week’s thin skin contest, the winner is…………. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:22 am: == She’s obviously not a complete bystander here… == No joke! The Mrs. was out publicly pitching ‘no social agenda’, what a good guy he was, etc. Don’t recall Emanuel’s kid out in public promoting. Maybe I missed it. If not, some difference. - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:23 am: No Diana Rauner is fair game. Now if Rahm had brought up Rauner’s daughter in the Payton Prep incident, that would be out of bounds. Agree that Rahm is too thin-skinned about this. - Because I said so.... - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:24 am: At the risk of getting a ‘bite me’ I also disagree. Yea, maybe the mayor is thin skinned when it comes to his family but….I can’t get the “Bruce doesn’t have a social agenda” loop out of my head for the last almost two years. Mrs. Rauner clearly knew her husbands intensions and lied to all of Illinois with that commercial. That being said, I agree Paris is a decent guy and I’m sure he meant no harm. I watched the interview but got up and away from the television for that at the end. - northsider (the original) - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:25 am: Not equivalent. First, one is an adult and the other is a minor. That’s distinction enough in my view. Second, one has an official title, a State-funded staff, serves on various state funded committees/boards and acts as a surrogate for the governor at official state events. The other lives an entirely private life and her parents have gone to great lengths to maintain her privacy and not showcase her as part of ‘the family’ unlike many pols. I wonder if the friend/boyfriend is enjoying his 15 minutes of anonymous fame? - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:26 am: ===Diana Rauner is clearly not going out of her way to be a public figure any more than prior first ladies.=== Lol. I remember when Jayne Thompson did that ad about Big Jim being such a great guy. Would Jim Edgar even have gotten elected if Brenda hadn’t vouched for him? And who could forget Lura Lynn Ryan’s smiling face on television and her powerful message about George? FKA, you make it too easy. - DuPage Bard - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:31 am: If you watch the interview he was smirking when he said “that’s your last interview”. What parent or better yet father would say how awesome it is that my teenage daughter is dating. If your a parent you wouldn’t take a little shot if someone said “ah is that your daughters boyfriend?” Just saying - atsuishin - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:32 am: Paris was totally out of line. Rahm’s children should be off limits. I don’t quite agree with Rich, scrutiny of a spouse is one thing. But the children are entitled to privacy they don’t have input over their parents choices. Anyway, I’ve always had the feeling Paris was in over his head when interviewing Rahm, so no lost if these interviews are cancelled. - AC - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:33 am: Diana attempted to calm the fears of nervous Democrats during the election, at least for a while she had a state funded assistant supporting her officical role as the First Lady of Illinois. She leads a non profit organization, Ounce of Prevention, that sued the state. I just have a tough time viewing someone’s children who don’t have a public role as being equivalent. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:37 am: ===Mrs. Rauner clearly knew her husbands intensions and lied to all of Illinois with that commercial.=== That’s unfair because we don’t know if that’s true. If you want to say President Rauner’s personal silence in regards to what’s happening now is deafening, then you have my attention. It’s unknown how complicit Diana is in knowing beforehand, but Diana’s silence now is… well… - Amalia - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:39 am: child situation not spouse. and a spouse who weighs way into what the elected does makes the Diana situation not remotely what the Emanuel daughter situation is. no comparison. - Handle Bar Mustache - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:42 am: Diana Rauner’s silence in regards to what’s happening now with respect to human services and education is deafening - Carhartt Representative - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:57 am: He also had a flier in the mayoral campaign attacking Garcia’s son. The family privacy thing is a one way street. - crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 12:12 pm: Families are not fair game. The way politicians use and excuse their families IS fair game. Diana. The son who avoided severe criminal penalties and the daughter who got clouted into public school. If you believe the rumors, Rahm’s son. All the pols who send their kids to Lab or Sidwell. A politician’s double standards when it comes to his own say a lot about him. But, assuming it wasn’t a public appearance, the daughter’s friend should be unremarkable. - Man with a plan - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 12:47 pm: Paris Schutz is a rock-solid reporter who maybe made a mistake. Rahm has more to gain by having a good rapport with Schutz than he does by punishing him with a boycott. That said, leave the teenagers out of things for God’s sake. - A guy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 12:49 pm: === Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 11:13 am: Look, if the mayor is that hyper sensitive about his own family, he ought to show more sensitivity about others’ families.=== There’s really no room for argument beyond this. - Soccermom - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 12:52 pm: Rich, did you see the Crain’s headline in the weekly email? Something along the lines of “Time for Lysistrata in the Governor’s Mansion.” If you want to talk about disrespect to the First Lady, that was a doozy. - Annon3 - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 12:59 pm: When I saw his reaction to Paris’ comment I could not tell if he was completely serious or if it was a little tongue in cheek as he really had controlled the interview more so then usual. He seemed to be in a hury to get to the soccer match and in typical fashion had to get a dig in. - Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 1:05 pm: Diana is, and will continue to be fair game. She put herself in the spotlight with the campaign ads to assuage (apparently well founded) fears about her husband’s agenda. She is the CEO of a non-profit that is not only suing the state, but receives state funding (y’know, when there’s a budget) And, she is the beneficiary of a six-figured staffer paid for by the taxpayers. Rahm’s daughter is a high school student. Huge freakin’ difference. - Honeybear - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 1:07 pm: What is the 100,000 dollar State employed and paid for, Chief of Staff for then? Why would a “civilian” as they say need a State employee Chief of Staff? Paid at 100k a year no less. I would have no problem if the Rauners paid for an administrative assistant for her. But to use the poor logic used against me recently, “taxpayers” are paying the “Chief of Staff”. If she has no government function why does she need a State employee Chief of Staff? - Keyrock - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 1:13 pm: Groundhog + 1 more. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 1:17 pm: - Honeybear - The COS is only in play because Rauner thinks state employees are overpayed. The First Ladies have all had them in recent memory. Civilian or not, First Ladies have gotten Staff. With respect. - Illinoisian - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 1:19 pm: Paris’ comment was not really the worst thing in the world, but as a Chicago reporter, Paris should have known that Rahm is very testy about this topic. Rahm has been very consistent on this. - Reformed Public Servant - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 1:23 pm: Earlier this year, Rahm lost it on Politico’s Mike Allen who called out Rahm’s Cuba family vacation… either Rahm likes to play PsyOps with media, or sooner or later Rahm will have to learn how to talk to the media… - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 3:16 pm: Way too many of y’all are confusing being a blog commenter with being the mayor of a major world city. He shouldn’t have done it. Period. - Honeybear - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 4:29 pm: I did not know that OW. I thought that it was a new position that Rauner put in. I thought this because I thought I raised a fuss about it then. Thank you as always for treating me with respect and answering my questions. I am thankful for OW and Edgar Republicans. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 4:42 pm: Welcome - Honeybear - To Rich’s point, and I do concur… ===- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 31, 16 @ 11:51 am With respect to Diana Rauner, She shares stages in her role at Ounce and also shares press pops in that role too. Not as First Lady, but as an active member of an organization, its president, no less, of an active organization involved in social services and that group relies on the state to fulfill its mission. In that very narrow and specific role, and I mean in that very narrow and specific role, Mrs. Rauner isn’t a civilian. This wouldn’t be an issue has she left. Now, me saying ALL that is ridiculously different than the Mayor of the City of Chicago, who has vacationed, with his family and with Mrs. Rauner and her family, saying it. But it doesn’t make it less true. Rahm needs surrogates to point these things out, not him. Rahm knows better.=== - Keyrock - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 7:49 pm: A statement from Dr. Rauner: http://m.sj-r.com/news/20160608/gov-rauner-sued-by-wifes-nonprofit?rssfeed=true - Michael Westen - Wednesday, Jun 8, 16 @ 7:56 pm: If Rahm wants privacy for his children, he should keep them at home. If they appear with him at a public event, like a soccer game, it is not beyond the bounds of decency for a media person to mention it. When he appears in public with his family, is it supposed to be kept secret? Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.