* Yesterday was the first time I can recall Gov. Rauner ever uttering the name “Pritzker” to reporters. Sun-Times…
For months, the governor has been coy about talking about his re-election campaign or his competitors. But with a Republican primary challenger surfacing and a costly primary battle ahead, Rauner went full forward with an attack on Pritzker’s finances.
* Tribune…
Until Tuesday, the trading of jabs largely had been confined to competing campaign press releases. Rauner, however, has had a difficult week, saying Monday that he’s “not in charge” of Illinois despite being governor for nearly three years, and fending off attacks from Ives, his new Republican primary challenger. Faced with reporters’ questions Tuesday, Rauner lobbed his charges against Pritzker, providing no documentation to back them up.
A commenter believes that Rauner went after Pritzker yesterday to show his GOP base that “he, and only he can dig the dirt up on Pritzker,” and win in November. Rauner himself said on Monday that his core message during the Republican primary will be this…
I will win the general election. I will win the general election. And if we don’t win the general election, nothing else matters. If we go back to being a one-party state that’s controlled by one person, we don’t have a future. We don’t have a future.
So, he’ll probably try to ignore and/or marginalize Ives as long as he can by focusing on Madigan and Pritzker, who are two peas in a pod as far as he’s concerned.
* Ives, on the other hand, will need to put some real cash behind her red meat attacks if she wants to get Rauner’s direct attention. This one didn’t work, for instance…
Ives, who formally announced her candidacy Monday, wasted no time launching a vitriolic attack on Rauner. She questioned his manhood — Is our governor really a girly man? — as well as his loyalty to regular voters.
“We were promised a conservative, reform governor. Instead we got an Ivy League gender studies professor,” Ives said, referring to him as “Benedict Rauner.”
As long as she’s raising ho-hum money, and/or unless she catches real fire on social media, she’ll be ignored in an attempt to keep the party together as much as they can and to avoid giving her more attention that she otherwise would.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 9:56 am:
It’s actually the same play JB is running on the Democratic side, although with JB it has the added benefit of “elevating” him. Rauner doesn’t need elevated, he’s already Gov.
Even if he’s not in charge.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 9:58 am:
And of course, Rauner attacking JB has the same “elevating” effect.
- Rabid - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:04 am:
Do you think he doesn’t know Ives filed
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:06 am:
“I will win the general election. I will win the general election.” Rauner
Doesn’t he know that he needs to repeat that phrase 3 times in a row while clicking his cowboy boot heels together for it to come true??? /S
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:07 am:
“I will win the general election. I will win the general election. And if we don’t win the general election, nothing else matters. *** we don’t have a future. We don’t have a future.”
Rauner 2018: Après moi, le déluge.
– MrJM
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:07 am:
Serving up red meat via homophobic slurs isn’t going to get her much favorable coverage outside of the Proft News Service
- WasAnon - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:09 am:
When you have to repeat the line more than once, those thereafter are trying to convince yourself.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:16 am:
To the Post,
Great add-in by Rich, tying it all together, bringing into the focus “what”, but the “why” too.
For me? Rauner needs to also emphasize the “Map” argument that “we” need Rauner for that map, and Rauner will hold Illinois hostage (he’s done it before) until he feels he gets what he wants with that map.
What’s been a recent disappointment is Pritzker’s Crew’s focus and big picture understanding of Rauner, Raunerism, avdctying it all together with “Skyhook, in reverse”
To understand Rauner, you need to understand this is a man who “misled” a Catholic Cardinal, and did it without batting an eye.
Rauner is ruthless, callous, and lacks a feeling of guilt for doing whatever he feels needs to be done, consequences be…
Why is this important?
Rauner gave Quinn no quarter. None. Zero.
While taking on Dillard, Rutherford, and Brady, Bruce Rauner went after Quinn on everything, and so forcefully, that attacks on Rauner himself were dwarfed.
Where o where is that from Pritzker’s Crew?
These past few awful, dreadfully awful days for Rauner, we’re also discussing tax returns.
The most glaring? Rauner all but admits… I may have “stuff” off-shore too, “but Pritzker”
Rauner has to be held in a defensive posture, rarely seen I grant you, but even these “non-Superstars” understand, go after Pritzker… give THEM no quarter, give them zero room to breathe.
What Z and that Crew did was own Quinn’s lunch. They made the incumbent inept at “whatabout” because Rauner was shaking and bringing “up” everything they could to discredit the incumbency.
Rauner is the worst Republican governor in America and Rauner is driving the discussion AT Pritzker. Why?
This passive “we won’t release polling”, “we can’t show our status” baloney is ridiculous to the need to BE the front-runner, own that, and take it, $7 million at a time, to Rauner, no holds barred.
Pritzker has the “best” infastructure in place, more than enough money, Labor, endorsements, ads, polling from others that they lead… for the love of Pete… go after it.
Rauner is coming with more and more oppo.
“What are you prepared to do?”
- WasAnon - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:19 am:
If Ives wanted to get Rauner’s goat, she’d go after his Harley ridin’, Carhart wearin, manliness. He has a ‘flaccid’ concept
Of leadership; a ‘limp’ outlook on Illinois; ‘squeamish’ on conservatism; add your own. She could do that, yet as Tricky Dick said, “…but that would be wrong….“
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:23 am:
From your lips, Willy, to the Pritzker Crew’s ears.
- A guy - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:24 am:
Until this becomes Jeanne Ives and a Cast of (more than) a dozen or so…
He won’t utter her name.
Calling him a girly man will work just fine for him.
- Langhorne - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:29 am:
“You are, are, a gender studies professor.”
“No, you are.” Snicker.
Will ives starve the higher ed beast, to get rid of such fluffiness?
- Flynn's mom - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:31 am:
@Anon221…’click his cowboy boots together”…. I’m laughing out loud.
- Rabid - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:32 am:
I think we all know who wears the pants in the Rauner family
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:37 am:
“OW” thanks for that great assessment. I don’t pay much attention to primarys anymore so this is just enough for me.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:40 am:
- PublicServant -
I appreciate that. They are pros, they know what they’re doing, and as much as I stand by every word (misspellings too, lol) that’s me up there howling at the moon more than anything. It’s important that I especially don’t forget that, but, as petitions are filed, and December melts into the new year, days will be lost to set a longer narrative, and Rauner feels “Madigan”, “the map” and discrediting Pritzker and others early as Rauner did 4 years ago.
It’s up to the campaigns, Biss, Kennedy, even Pritzker, to grasp that Rauner wants destruction to begin now towards anyone that’s a threat. Playing on their own sandbox… that won’t cut it.
- Roman - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:48 am:
After the fist fight at the yacht club yesterday between Rauner and JB, it occurred to me that Jeanne Ives and Daniel Biss should be pushing the same message to their respective primary voters: there’s no difference between Rauner and Pritzker.
They’re both out-of-touch billionaires who are not really committed to the core values of their party. Rauner is a pro-choice and pro-sanctuary limousine liberal; JB is an expert in tax avoidance and — from the floor of the stock exchange — wouldn’t commit to endorsing Obama over Romney.
- Ahoy! - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:52 am:
Rauner should treat Ives’s candidacy for what it is, nothing.
- Rabid - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:54 am:
The silence from the ILGOP on Jeanne’s entrance into the primary is a corrupt bargain
- New Foundland - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:54 am:
The Ives primary is ultimately going to be a good thing for Rauner as he has the ability to distinguish himself as a more centrist, pragmatic person than an idealogue who is completely off the reservation. This is a good thing for a Republican trying to win a blue state.
Same goes for the National Review headline. Everyone here thinks that’s an insult to Rauner. Rauner was probably thrilled to be called “The Worst Republican Governor” when he is trying to win re-election in a blue state.
JB has not been attacking Rauner for two reasons (in my opinion): (1) the anti-Trump messaging seems to work with dems so he focuses there for now; and (2) I think the crew is rightfully scared that if they target Rauner too much, there are going to get an onslaught of bullets from that camp. They are right but that onslaught is coming anyway.
Further, JB doesn’t seem like the type that is really up for confrontation - he seems like a very affable nice guy but not really the type to go for the jugular. This was also the case with Quinn to some extent. Rauner is not that way. Kennedy is not that way either and I firmly believe he is the better foil vs. Rauner primarily for that reason (amongst a few others) and is probably the best chance to retake the mansion.
Having said all of that, I still think JB wins the primary because he has a better team around him and the dollar signs keep adding up. He just needs to dig deep and start attacking Rauner like his career depends on it (because politically it does).
- Trapped in the 'burbs - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:57 am:
Eric Cantor. Never underestimate how angry the conservative part of the GOP is at Rauner. Also, Rauner painted himself into another corner on marijuana. They’ll pass a bill to legalize recreational marijuana to force him to go back on his word and sign it thus ramping up the hostility of the right or he vetoes it and gives away any chance at moderate and independent support. He is utterly clueless but I believe him when he declares that he’s not in charge. Since he admitted that he’s ineffectual, can he explain what changes in term 2? He’s gone three years refusing to answer questions, perhaps after the primary, he can “focus” on other things.
- New Foundland - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 10:59 am:
Eric Cantor was in a deep red district who had stopped leaving the Beltway. If Ives were to pull of the miracle of miracles and win the primary, she would be lucky to crack 35% in the general. The GOP knows this and isn’t stupid. They are trying to force BVR to be a little more conservative by probing him a little.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 11:02 am:
==If Ives wanted to get Rauner’s goat, she’d go after his Harley ridin’, Carhart wearin, manliness.==
Petty much? Apparently his Carhartt wearing, Harley riding manliness bothers you a lot. For some others of us who daily struggle to decide who (in a cast of unimpressive candidates) deserves our vote for the governorship of Illinois, Rauner’s hobbies and choice of attire are pretty far down on the list.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 11:03 am:
How Rauner handles the 2018 budget will be telling.
Does he dare go into November with another unresolved budget impasse?
If he signs a budget, how can he tell his base he’s the right guy to stand up to Madigan?
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 11:19 am:
==If he signs a budget, how can he tell his base he’s the right guy to stand up to Madigan?==
By the time a budget decision has to be made, he’ll be out of the primary.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 11:28 am:
==JB has not been attacking Rauner for two reasons==
…he’s been attacking him constantly. The auto-play ad on his Youtube page is a tv spot whacking Rauner on health care.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 11:33 am:
What Arsenal said.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 11:41 am:
===…he’s been attacking him constantly. The auto-play ad on his Youtube page is a tv spot whacking Rauner on health care.===
Yep. All true.
The oppo dumps on Pritzker, nothing “race-ending” but seems to be enough to keep more pressure on Pritzker than the pressure on Rauner, his record, and to cause blowback at Rauner as Rauner deflects and goes after Pritzker.
The tax issues aren’t new, and won’t go away “until”…
What’s different here is Pritzker is going after Rauner but Rauner continues to be able to make Pritzker respond than keep the heat on Rauner to be accountable.
As bad, as dreadfully awful actually, as these past days have been for Rauner, Rauner has still been able to keep Pritzker off-balance with that oppo dump, and struggling to get a reasonable response(?)
- blue dog dem - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 11:51 am:
I am sick to my stomach that I missed Ives in Murphy yesterday. But it does sound like she made a bit of an impression. Going to talk to some of my manufacturing buddies from Red Bud that caught up with her to get their thoughts. My question. Will there be a 30% voter turnout for the primary? Wonder what that would do. Let me say, the Dem candidate is going to win the governorship(no matter how bad the candidate) quite handily. Just let me have a chance to show Rauner how inept a conservative he has been. Run Jeanne. Run.
Did anyone watch Morning Joe this morn? Interesting comments by Chris Matthews on abortion voters. Rauner should have noticed.
- cdog - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 12:13 pm:
Illinois is doomed if the blue-state model is continued under either Rauner, or Pritzker.
Ives needs to speak to this.
Every single negative headline about Illinois can be traced back to this concept.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 12:42 pm:
==The oppo dumps on Pritzker, nothing “race-ending” but seems to be enough to keep more pressure on Pritzker than the pressure on Rauner, his record, and to cause blowback at Rauner as Rauner deflects and goes after Pritzker.==
I’m not sure I agree, at least not to that full extent, but I will stipulate that the *Effectiveness* of JB’s attacks on Rauner are a different question.
- Vito From Bari - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 12:58 pm:
I don’t think you all realize the absolute contempt GOP primary voters have for Rauner. As someone before me has said recently, “The Rauner experiment has failed.” Ives wins a squeaker!
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 1:06 pm:
===I don’t think you all realize the absolute contempt GOP primary voters have for Rauner===
“A Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll found that 61 percent of 1,064 likely Republican voters had a favorable impression of Gov. Rauner. Just 24 percent had an unfavorable opinion”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/miller-jeanne-ives-faces-uphill-fight-if-she-challenges-rauner/
- Vito From Bari - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
It won’t be easy - beating an incumbent in a primary never is - but if she’s not in the high 30s by the end of January, then every political instinct I have is erong! WAIT AND WATCH
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 3:59 pm:
From Rich’s poll:
–According to the poll, 83 percent of Republican voters have never heard of Ives.–
Only money can cure that.
I wonder if Uihlein will just let her pound Rauner for sport and not step up with any money.
The way he throws money around, and the way his mouthpiece Proft has been ripping on Rauner, you’d think he’d be in already if he was going to be.
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 4:44 pm:
My believe is that
Rauners campaign perfidy
Was designed to work only once
“Give No Specifics”
Doesn’t work a second time
He was banking that his governing perfidy
Would work
That he would “drive a wedge”
And have successes to tout
And unions at his feet
But Madigan foiled him.
Madigan didn’t give in
Hostages died
Now Rauners methods are known
And nobody trusts him.
He’s not in control
The planning and strategy
The Koch brothers and ALEC
Sold him on didn’t work.
Now he bumbles and mumbles
Searching for a toehold
- Elliott Ness - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 7:22 pm:
Ives= lol