I hadn’t thought of it that way
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* But he’s right…
Heh.
* Meanwhile, Greg Hinz updated his story from yesterday to say that Bobby Rush isn’t going…
According to his office, “The congressman will not attend as his wife is hospitalized.”
* And Greg points to this tweet by Jan Schakowsky…
* Back to Gov. Rauner…
Gov. Bruce Rauner told reporters Tuesday that his choice to skip President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration wouldn’t have a negative impact on Illinoisans.
“People understand in Washington and around the country that Illinois has big challenges and they know, and respect the fact, that I am one hundred percent focused in Illinois, working on getting a balanced budget with structural change to the system,” Rauner said. “And they respect that and they appreciate it.”
Yeah. People all over the country know he’s working so very hard. /snark
More…
“I do have close, good working relationships with a number of incoming members of the Trump administration, as well as members of his transition team, and I’ve worked with the Vice President-elect for years,” Rauner said. “There’s no issue of us not having a good, solid working relationship with the incoming administration.”
Rauner noted that he “worked hard” to form a close relationship with the outgoing Obama administration, including former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. He now hopes to work with the Trump administration on infrastructure and schools in Illinois.
He worked so hard forming close ties to Penny Pritzker that she’s now “all in” for one of Rauner’s top opponents. /snark2
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:08 pm:
===Rauner noted that he “worked hard” to form a close relationship with the outgoing Obama administration, including former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan…===
… including the clouding of his denied Winnetka-living daughter into Payton Prep.
They’re tight. No doubt.
To the Post,
Rauner will use his relationship with Pence (even if Rauner won’t say the names of the incoming POTUS and VPOTUS) and will back channel there, I’m guessing to make federal inroads without Trump and Rauner seen working hand in hand.
Pence is the conduit.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:10 pm:
I had tickets in 2009 but watched from my hotel room after they shut down the purple tunnel of doom. Plus it was too cold to stand outside for six or eight hours. Inaugurations are fun, but they are entirely ceremonial.
I don’t care that Rauner isn’t going. I do care about his plans to deal with the uninsured in Illinois. Please stop asking him about ceremonies and symbolic stuff and try to pin him down on specific policy options that have a life or death impact on hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans.
Pretty please?
- Spliff - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:10 pm:
He’s working so hard. You can tell by his goodly budgets and his bigly poll numbers.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:19 pm:
I don’t care if Dem officials skip the inauguration - that’s a “whatever” take for me - but I can’t stand the self-serving, aggrandizing press releases. Just say “I’M NOT GOING!” and drop it.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:19 pm:
=== try to pin him down===
Easier said than done. They tried twice yesterday to no avail.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:26 pm:
Bustos and Trump both won in the 17th, it makes sense that she would attend. Now as someone looking to run statewide in a couple of years…
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:29 pm:
===Easier said than done.===
Well, they should have more chances. I don’t see Trump or the Republicans backing down on repealing the ACA and they aren’t any closer to a replacement, lol.
Keep asking. Sooner or later he’s going to need to explain the Medicaid budget.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:30 pm:
47th, I’d pay good money to make him explain the Medicaid budget.
lol
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:31 pm:
How common has it been for IL governors to go, though? Did Quinn go in ‘12? Did Ryan go in 2000? What about Obama’s fir-
Oh. Oh yeah. That.
- Not It - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:33 pm:
If all these Dems refuse to attend the Inagutation under the belief that Trump shouldn’t be President, aren’t they ruining any chance of later saying the President should take some action they would enjoy?
It’s cool today to skip the ceremony, but how does that help tjeobcauses in the long-term?
- A guy - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:38 pm:
We should pay this much attention to their attendance at their seats in Congress as we do to this. The first is an obligation. The second means nothing. As I said yesterday, Quigley is a mild surprise. The rest are completely predictable. I can’t fathom how this matters.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:38 pm:
@Team Sleep- I second your “what ever” and add a “who cares”. Much ado about nothing.
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:42 pm:
Re: Arne Duncan
Duncan was EdSec for less than a year while Rauner was governor. And Rauner already had the relationship with Duncan because he leaned on Duncan to clout his academically unqualified suburban daughter into the “crumbling prisons” called the Chicago Public Schools.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:45 pm:
JS - that kind of stuff has always driven me nuts. The officials and their press people certainly love to hear themselves talk. And by press people I am not referring to journalists or columnists…
- Not surprised - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 2:51 pm:
It would be so awkward for Schakowsky to attend since her husband coordinated violent protests intended to disrupt Trump campaign events and was publicly humiliated when his subterfuges were discovered by Project Veritas.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 3:26 pm:
Rauner’s trying to walk a line between his Downstate base that was very supportive of Trump, and the Suburban swing voters he needs to win that went big for Clinton.
I think he’s just scared to have his picture taken with Trump (give that a think). I don’t know if he can keep dissin’ him like that for two more years. The president-elect seems to take offense at times to perceived slights and often shares his hurt feelings.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 3:28 pm:
Running and hiding in a safe room isn’t showing leadership. I’m seeing the Democratic Party lowering the bar for President Trump when they run away like they are. We elect leaders, not protesters. Stop the silliness and grow up please!
- JackD - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 4:49 pm:
Jan had other reasons not to go: the attitudes of her constituents.
- DuPage Bard - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 5:02 pm:
Rahm has more pull than Rauner with Trump anyway. Ari was the Trumpsters agent and Rahm was a conduit for Trump Tower in Chicago.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 5:25 pm:
–…Rahm was a conduit for Trump Tower in Chicago.–
How so? The proposal first surfaced in 2001. Demolition of the old Sun-Times Building started in late 2004.
Trump Tower was largely financed by Deutsche Bank. The president-elect and his advisor/son-in-law are still into them for a combined $670 million in debt on a number of properties.
All that while Deutsche Bank is negotiating a multi-billion MBS settlement with the Justice Department that if it ain’t settled by Friday, will fall on Sen. Sessions as AG to sign off.
Sen. Schultz, um, Sessions. testified at his confirmation hearings that he knows nothing, nothing about any of it.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-22/deutsche-bank-s-reworking-a-big-trump-loan-as-inauguration-nears
https://www.thestreet.com/story/13949449/1/sessions-says-he-s-totally-uninformed-about-potential-trump-deutsche-bank-conflicts.html
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 8:34 pm:
Rauner should go. 90 counties went for Trump, so they’re sure to buy Bruce’s BS.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 8:44 pm:
==Jan had other reasons not to go: the attitudes of her constituents.==
Yeah, there are absolutely NO Republicans or Dems who voted for Trump for one reason or another in Jan’s district/sarc. It’s true that she has her district sewn up, which is all the more reason this would have been a no risk moment for her to show some dignity and that she recognizes not everybody in her district thinks in lockstep by attending the inauguration. The inauguration after all is supposed to be about the office and the orderly transfer of power–not the man or woman. Very very disappointed in Jan.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 8:46 pm:
=Rauner should go. 90 counties went for Trump, =
Yes. I agree. Rauner should go too.
- Sigh - Wednesday, Jan 18, 17 @ 10:27 pm:
Bruce has all his bases covered. According to Project Vote Smart GTCR is also has a relationship with Gary Johnson.
- Rabid - Thursday, Jan 19, 17 @ 4:58 am:
Well since everybody has that day free maybe Rauner can lead a protest on the second floor
- What did you do - Thursday, Jan 19, 17 @ 8:54 am:
No snark please. Twice? This is a snark free zone.
No exceptions.