24 Comments - Anon0091 - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 12:29 am: She has been a phenomenal advocate. JB is lucky to have her on his side. - blue dog dem - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 3:08 am: This so much reminds me of the HRC pre-ordaining. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 7:02 am: As an R, I sure hope JB is the candidate. - Earnest H - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 7:21 am: What a bold pick, showing her independence from Madigan. - Real - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 7:51 am: Yeah, Munger showed a lot of independence from Rauner by being hired as deputy gov after being defeated. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:03 am: While the Mendoza endorsement is a large get for the Pritzker crew, for me the endorsement staging in of itself is probably more telling than just Mendoza choosing to support Pritzker. Here’s the most important part of what this event is about… ===…will be joined by union members and supporters…=== “…union members and…” Where Pritzker can get the biggest boost outside a statewide elected official choosing to support him is the premise and now the solidified visual of that winning combination Mendoza used to win herself… her own firebrand campaigning style and organized labor. The lede, for me, is Mendoza and her winning combination that defeated Rauner’s proxy is solidifying behind JB Pritzker. It’s building a campaign not by a single endorsement but building a coalition that shares a goal to defeat Bruce Rauner. The visual today will tell more than Mendoza and Pritzker heaping praise on another. - DarkHorse - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:17 am: I’m not entirely sure I understand the logic that the most appealing candidate the Democrats can put up against plutocrat Rauner is their own billionaire. Kennedy has run a weak campaign, but he might offer a more appealing contrast to the average voter. - Michael Westen - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:23 am: “As an R, I sure hope JB is the candidate.” Right. That’s what Democrats said about Trump. And Reagan for that matter. Just sayin’ be careful what you wish for. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:31 am: ===As an R, I sure hope JB is the candidate=== Rauner is not a Republican, but if you think that, that’s more telling thank your silly driveby. - former southerner - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:45 am: As a former R I also sure hope that JB will be the candidate. A lot of reasonable Rs will be hoping for good candidates from the Democrats because of the wingnuts put forward by the new GOP, see AL for example. - Responsa - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:46 am: ==Rauner is not a Republican, …== There is certainly some merit to this oft posted stance. Still, it is undeniable that he holds more traditional right leaning positions than left leaning positions. In the general election who will the state’s many Republican leaning voters end up voting for? Will it be JB?, Biss? I highly doubt it. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:53 am: - Responsa - ===There is certainly some merit to this oft posted stance. Still, it is undeniable that he holds more traditional right leaning positions than left leaning positions=== Raunerism that Bruce and Diana Rauner believe… Be deadbeats to social services, while signing contracts and expecting work without that pay. Passively work to close state universities, refusing to fund higher education while donating “millions” to Dartmouth, in building a professors … and a contract with the state too. Hurting Labor and hurting the state unless Labor is hurt. “No social agenda”, while having Diana Rauner fool an entire state, with no intention on having that “no social agenda stance” Republicans are better than this, and if the choice is Raunerism and the comutined destruction of Illinois to appease Bruce and Diana Rauner, the hope is voters see “Bruce Rauner fails” Pritzker is trying to build on that here with Mendoza who won that last proxy battle. - Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 8:56 am: =Still, it is undeniable that he holds more traditional right leaning positions than left leaning positions.= I think the only true position that he holds is how he feels about unions. Everything else seems pretty much fungible depending on the day of the week and the audience. I don’t doubt that Rauner will capture the R vote but that’s never really been in doubt. Turnout of that R vote is the real question. As far as independents go that’s going to be difficult sledding. Rauner in 2018 will look nothing like he did in 2014. The presence of the union members on the stage with Pritzker and Mendoza is a reminder of that. - Curl of the Burl - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:05 am: This is a great get. Not only is Comptroller Mendoza the Dems’ top attack dog but if she draws a weak GOP opponent then she can stump for JBP during the summer and fall next year (if he makes it out of the primary). - Robert the Bruce - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:10 am: Good call, blue dog dem at 3:08 am! And I believe Hillary won our state handily. With all of Pritzker’s money, it’s understandable that politicians are endorsing him, thinking of their own future fundraising prospects. - Robert the Bruce - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:13 am: ===“As an R, I sure hope JB is the candidate.”=== Really? Biss, Pawar, and Kennedy seem to me to be to the left of Pritzker, and with less money to counter Rauner. Plus Kennedy has trouble on the stump even when he shows up on time. - lake county democrat - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:13 am: What economic positions of the 2016 GOP Party Platform does Rauner differ? I don’t see a one. “Job killing regulations,” “right to work,” etc. As for fiscal irresponsibility, give me a break: Ronald Reagan *intentionally* exploded the budget to pay for his priorities (tax cuts for wealthy and military spending) and he’s a Republican hero (his administration also did things like changing the paperwork to welfare programs to throw those wouldn’t be able to navigate the change off the rolls). The most significant ways Rauner varies from today’s GOP is on social issues like abortion and gay rights. In fact, if Donald Trump were to be more like Rauner and less like the American Independent Party of George Wallace, the GOP establishment would weep tears of joy even if he did something Raunerish like blew the debt ceiling. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:17 am: Yeah, I’m sure Republicans are jumping up and down about a candidate who could outspend Rauner in the general election. It’s not like Rauner’s wealth was a factor in his election. Rauner will just run as a regular joe and make more wardrobe changes than Cher in-concert, wearing out his Village People costumes. If JB is the Dem candidate, I’m curious as to how much money Rauner will commit to the GOP GA campaign efforts. Rauner was the bank and ran the show in the 2016 races, and former traditional GOP funders were happy to keep their checkbooks closed. Brady and Cross might have to ramp up a funder network if Rauner is pre-occupied. In fact, Brady and Cross might need money to protect their incumbents in primaries from Uiehlein money. Will Rauner commit to protecting incumbents from that possibility? - Try-4-Truth - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:38 am: ==Rauner is not a Republican, …== I’m sorry Mr. Willy, I respect you a great deal, but I must make a few points… Gov. Rauner won a crowded Republican primary, which means Republicans chose him. Gov. Rauner controls the entire Republican “establishment”. Gov. Rauner pals around with national Republicans. I had to own Blago… Republicans have to own Gov. Rauner. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:49 am: - Try-4-Truth - Let’s work backwards, respectfully… ===I had to own Blago… Republicans have to own Gov. Rauner.=== I’ve said dozens of times that a main reason I don’t support Rauner is Blago and understanding of my party decided to rally around a Blago type I wouldn’t be silent. It was a promise I made to myself. I kept it, or at least I made sure I kept it. Now… ===Gov. Rauner won a crowded Republican primary, which means Republicans chose him.=== As I’ve pointed out, the label versus the governing haven’t matched up. Those are the points most visible here in Illinois; social services, higher education, obstruction and hostage-taking, and a full (note the full) frontal assault on Labor, and on that Labor prong, the devolving of the national GOP towards Labor has begun and continues to be a state by state hopscotching with the US Supremes yet to weigh in. ===Gov. Rauner controls the entire Republican “establishment”.=== … using the Blago dream of a “governor’s caucus” more than a party/ideology caucus being and working in a collaborative way. Owning a caucus is like a corporate takeover of Raunerism, if anything. ===Gov. Rauner pals around with national Republicans=== … and motice it’s never touted or celebrated, and Rauner still is leery to even mention POTUS. Raunerism is a rebranding of Republicanism, not unlike what Rod Blagojevich so desperately wanted too. It’s not traditional party driven. With respect, as always - Honeybear - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 9:55 am: OW- read The One Percent Solution by Gordon Laffer To see the roots of Raunerism It’s so much larger than Rauner This book blew my mind - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 10:01 am: - Honeybear - I’ll check it out. Thank you. - Try-4-Truth - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 10:46 am: LOL, Mr. Willy… I know you are a thoughtful person.. My point is.. I don’t want to let the Republican Party off the hook. Trump and Rauner are decisions made by the Republican Party. If we allow Republicans to say “Yeah, well, he’s not one of ours, he’s something else”… It lets the party off the hook. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 27, 17 @ 10:53 am: ===If we allow Republicans to say “Yeah, well, he’s not one of ours, he’s something else”… It lets the party off the hook.=== Here’s my take… like with Rod… There will come a time, a reconing where those that aided and worked collaboratively with both Rauner and Trump. When sides were chosen, for Rauner it’s higher educator, Labor, and social services and all the hostages that Rauner purposely hurt, it’s obvious where those Rauberites were, and what color buttons they pushed for Bruce Rauner You think I want the likes of a Ms. Wheeler, who thankfully won’t return next GA, to continue to expound that Raunerism, like Blago did, is what the party is. The only purge now that can happen for Raunerism is Dems taking the battle to Raunerism so the ILGOP can try to rise from the Raunerite oppression. Attaching people to Rauner or Trump in like-minded political policy, meh, they all made their beds. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.