* From Team Rauner…

2017 Rauner Top 10
As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look at some of Bruce Rauner’s biggest accomplishments this past year

1. Historic Education Funding Reform
For the first time in decades, Illinois has updated the formula that provides funding to the state’s public schools. Thanks to Governor Rauner’s influence, this bill distributes funding more equitably across the state and puts in place a school choice program to provide low-income families with greater education options for their children.

2. Illinois’ First Ever Scholarship Tax Credit Program
For the first time in its history, Illinois has enacted a scholarship choice program, providing the neediest families in the state an opportunity to choose the best educational options for their children. Governor Rauner has long been an advocate of providing school choice for underprivileged students, and this program is the first step to providing quality education to every child in Illinois.

3. Creating Clean Energy Jobs
The Future Energy Jobs Act, signed into law by Governor Rauner one year ago, has helped make Illinois the 2017 Midwest leader in clean energy jobs. Illinois is a state with abundant energy resources, and thanks to the governor’s reforms, the Midwest is already seeing the results of growing jobs in Illinois.

4. EDGE Tax Credits
Renewed this year to further promote business growth in Illinois, the EDGE Tax Credit Program has served to attract businesses and jobs to the state. Providing incentives for companies that create long-lasting, good-paying jobs in Illinois is a crucial part of Governor Rauner’s strategy to make Illinois a business-friendly state.

5. Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force
The opioid crisis has claimed too many lives in Illinois and across the country, but Governor Rauner has put in place a task force to stop its advance and help push back against the horror of addiction. The Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force has provided resources to those suffering from addiction, as well as expanded first responders’ access to life-saving drugs like Narcan.

6. Vetoed the Madigan Tax Hike
Mike Madigan forced through a 32% tax hike on Illinois families, but Bruce Rauner stood in firm opposition. Governor Rauner is fighting to protect the hardworking taxpayers of this state, and will not stop until Madigan’s outrageous tax hike is rolled back.

7. Ethical Government and Fighting Corruption
Governor Rauner has worked to run an ethical government, starting with proposals for term limits for elected officials and fair maps to ensure every voter’s voice is heard. Now the Governor is calling on Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios to resign as the Madigan-Pritzker-Berrios property tax racket has been exposed, where political insiders make money hand-over-fist while taxpayers foot the bill.

8. Discovery Partners Institute
In October, Governor Rauner released his plan for the Discovery Partners Institute, a public-private partnership led by the University of Illinois bringing the state’s best and brightest together on one campus in Chicago’s South Loop. The plan will bring millions of dollars of direct investment to the state, as well as build up a pool of talented Illinoisans working together to address issues facing society and business. The campus is part of the broader Illinois Innovation Network, connecting all of Illinois’ universities in collaboration on a variety of projects.

9. International Trade Missions
Following renewal of the EDGE Tax Credit Program, the governor embarked on international trade missions to China, Japan, and Israel to bolster Illinois’ standing abroad and recruit foreign direct investment to the state. Meeting with business and political leaders of these countries, Governor Rauner successfully promoted Illinois’ future as he continues to cut red tape and make Illinois a business-friendly environment.

10. Amazon
Governor Rauner is leading the team that has put together a proposal to bring Amazon’s second headquarters to Chicago - a $5 billion project that will create 50,000 jobs. Working with a bipartisan group of business leaders, the governor was able to highlight the talented young workforce, prime strategic location, and diverse community available to Amazon in Chicago, providing a compelling case for the company to bring their business to Illinois.

Um, OK, the Amazon bid made the list? A bid made a top 10 list? Really?

* DGA…

Today, Governor Bruce Rauner’s campaign released a list of 10 “accomplishments” in 2017 that really underscore how little Rauner has done for Illinois families. Rauner’s list includes a couple whoppers, some stretches, and a few things that simply didn’t happen:

Rauner’s list includes passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act…which was signed in 2016 and not 2017.

Rauner’s campaign lists “Amazon” as an accomplishment. By that logic, 238 states and locales that applied for HQ2 consideration can claim that accomplishment.

Rauner continues take credit for education reform, despite the fact Rauner vetoed and campaigned against the reforms for months.

Rauner lists his veto of the state’s budget as an accomplishment. Yes, he wanted to keep the budget impasse going despite the debt and strain it put on the state.

Rauner claims he “worked to run an ethical government.” This year, Rauner hired a lobbyist as his Chief of Staff, saw his General Counsel mysteriously resign after penning a memo on separating politics from governing, and has had ethics complaints filed against two staff members.

Rauner’s list ignores the damage he did to the state’s services during an opioid epidemic, praises the release of a plan with no funding source, and brags about taking overseas trips where he bad-mouthed the state. It would not be a surprise to find “made a list” as the 11th accomplishment.

“Bruce Rauner is patting himself on the back for another failed year in office,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Illinois is still falling behind but Rauner seems oblivious to his administration’s failures. Debt went up, jobs and people were still lost, and Rauner spent the year dodging the tough fights on behalf of Illinois families. Rauner should be honest with Illinois voters and list the 10 ways he’s failed the state.”

* Pritzker campaign…

Today, the “Worst Republican Governor in America” released his top 10 “accomplishments” of 2017. Seeing as Bruce Rauner left a few items off of that list, the JB for Governor campaign launched WorstGov.com to show what really happened with the #WorstGov in charge.

Here are the top 10 accomplishments of the Worst Republican Governor in America:

1. BUDGET CRISIS: For 736 days, Bruce Rauner created a historic budget crisis that decimated vital services across the state. Rauner closed social service agencies and small business development centers, withheld billions of dollars from doctors and school administrators, and cost thousands of Illinoisans their jobs.

2. VETERANS’ HOME CRISIS: Under Bruce Rauner’s gross mismanagement and neglect, 13 Illinois Veterans have lost their lives from Legionnaires’ disease at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy. Now, 11 families are suing the state for negligence and some lawsuits even allege that Rauner’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs failed to notify families of the outbreaks and test residents for the disease.

3. MEDICAID SCHEME: Bruce Rauner inked the largest procurement in state history behind closed doors and is now under fire for skyrocketing costs and violating procurement law. A health policy expert said Rauner’s Medicaid overhaul could destabilize Medicaid and cause significant care disruptions.

4. MURASHKO MEMO: Shortly after authoring a detailed memo on ethical guidelines for interactions between the governor’s official and political offices, Bruce Rauner’s chief legal counsel abruptly resigned. Questions about potential ethics violations are mounting while Rauner refuses to give Illinoisans the answers they deserve as to why Murashko resigned.

5. DCFS IN SHAMBLES: Bruce Rauner’s understaffed DCFS has been plagued by gut wrenching failures, leading to a “toxic” environment at the agency. Whether it’s handing out no-bid contracts or mishandling heartbreaking cases, Rauner’s DCFS has consistently failed Illinois children and families.

6. SNAP TERMINATED: As the holiday season began this year, over 30,000 Illinois working families were not receiving their SNAP benefits due to Bruce Rauner’s dysfunctional DHS.

7. STAFF FIRINGS: In a move straight out of the Trump playbook, Bruce Rauner cycled through senior staff this summer, including firing his whole communications team after only 37 days on the job.

8. SCHOOL FUNDING CRISIS: In a desperate effort to ram through his special interest agenda, Rauner manufactured a school funding crisis that ended in him signing face-saving legislation while forcing through a back-door voucher program.

9. CREDIT DOWNGRADES: Rauner pushed Illinois’ credit rating to the brink of junk while dragging five Illinois universities’ down to junk status and decimating public education across the state.

10. BILL BACKLOG: Bruce Rauner’s budget crisis tripled Illinois’ bill backlog, leaving medical providers, schools, and social service agencies with billions in IOUs. When Illinois legislators tried to pass transparency legislation, Rauner vetoed it only to be overridden by a bipartisan group of legislators.

“Either Amazon moved to Illinois and forgot to tell anyone or Bruce Rauner is so desperate for accomplishments he is boasting about submitting a proposal,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “This is a failed governor who announces plans like the Discovery Partners Institute with no follow through, decimates education funding and calls it a victory, and manufactures a 736-day budget crisis and then says ‘I’m not in charge.’ Illinoisans no longer expect Bruce Rauner to accomplish anything other than getting voted out of office in November.”

…Adding… Heh…

🎶 It's Bruce Rauner's 10 Accomplishments of Christmas! 🎶

🎶 Ten hasn't happened! 🎶

🎶 Four was one he vetoed! 🎶

🎶 THREEEEEE WAS FROM LAST YEAAAAAAAAR! 🎶

🎶 Two's the same as One… 🎶

🎶 And the ed-u-ca-tion funding bill…I guessssss? 🎶 https://t.co/4XukBQieE7

— Scott Smith (@ourmaninchicago) December 19, 2017

* Sun-Times…

“It’s a warmed-over list of so-called accomplishments, some of which he opposed, some of which just benefit the wealthy and well-connected, and some of which are simply figments of his imagination,” said state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston. […]

Chris Kennedy’s campaign, too, said the governor is “disingenuous” for “patting himself on the back.

“It would take more than 10 items to list the lasting damage Governor Rauner has inflicted on the state of Illinois from slashing the social safety net to cutting public education to the rampant gun violence across Illinois,” Kennedy spokeswoman Rebecca Evans said in a statement.