* December 5, 2017…
Reporter: You ran on a platform of taking on the Speaker and reducing his power. If you have been unable to do that successfully, and are not in charge now, what is the argument for having four more years if the Speaker isn’t going anywhere?
Gov. Rauner: Ah, but the point is I believe he will be going somewhere. Into, uh, into retirement. And that’s what we’re working on. And this is, people around the state want this, and Democrats want this almost as much as Republicans when you talk with people around the state. And what I’m gratified to see is there is a strong movement from Democrats as well as Republicans to not have one person be Speaker for an extended period. […]
Reporter: So, are you saying that you envision a scenario where you get elected to a second term… and the Speaker is not the Speaker any more?
Gov. Rauner: I think there’s a very, very high probability of that and it would be a wonderful step for the state.
* Yesterday…
Gov. Rauner: The good news is, even if I can’t get Speaker Madigan gone this year in the election - that’d be nice, but I don’t think he’s gonna go anywhere…
Rauner went on to say that if he is reelected this year he’ll be able to “stop the income tax hike that Madigan and his friend Pritzker want to do,” which is presumably some sort of progressive/graduated income tax.
So, I guess that’s it. The biggest difference between Rauner’s first and second terms is that he’ll be able to stop Madigan from raising taxes, even though he couldn’t do that during his first term.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:32 am:
Well, now Rauner has SALT as a “condiment” to push is property tax freeze agenda, as well as the “Madigan” tax.
“The governor also repeated his belief that the state and local tax deduction limit could give a boost to his call for freezing property taxes and rolling back a state income tax hike.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-congress-taxes-20180104-story.html
- Norseman - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:35 am:
To get rid of Madigan, Rauner needs to make a deal. A deal deal. If Madigan retires, Rauner will retire.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:37 am:
There’s an old comedy bit, done with dogs and even funnier with cats…
Now, it’s funny…
It revolves around a “trainer”, now this trainer claims s/he can train any cat (or dog) and these claims are over the top.
“This cat will do everything I say, to the letter.”
The reality is the cat, it doesn’t listen to anything the “trainer” says, but what the trainer does is observe the cat, than commands the cat to do what it’s already doing.
“Run”, “go hide”, “stretch”… “ignore me”
Now the interviewer catches on fast that the phony con is that this trainer thinks s/he controls the cat, making even more outlandish claims, as the bit continues.
“Eat your food. There’s not one thing I’ve said that the cat hasn’t done”
The point?
Rauner is that con.
“Madigan is retiring” “Madigan isn’t retiring” “See, I know Madigan”
What’s so funny is seeing the con, actually believing s/he is fooling everyone.
It’s not funny when it’s a sitting governor.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:40 am:
So now the Governor has accepted that Madigan isn’t going anywhere. And he’s stated he’s “not in charge” because of Madigan. And yet he wants another term as Governor. So then apparently he can continue to complain and spend another four years not accomplishing anything and telling us again how nothing is his fault.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:42 am:
I’ve never been able to identify any positive reasons why Rauner wanted the gig, never been able to discern any real good he wanted to accomplish in his shallow, robotic talking points.
For the life of me, I have no idea why he wants a second term, what he hopes to do, what satisfaction he gets out of the job. It’s not like it’s an ego stroke anymore; he’s become a state and national punching bag, ridiculed for incompetence and impotence.
Even if he had any coherent goals, he’s lost the loyalty of many of his formerly staunchest allies in the GOP minority caucuses. He treated them like dirt and burned them too many times.
Who trusts his word anymore? Who would stick out their necks for him?
- Kay-Ro - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 9:50 am:
When the State needs to get rid of a problem employee, they promote that person.
Rauner should have been more creative. He should have asked Trump to nominate Madigan to a federal judgeship, or perhaps, Ambassador to Ireland.
- Jocko - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:15 am:
==he’ll be able to stop the income tax hike==
Ralph Furley had a more compelling argument for getting reinstated as landlord.
- Langhorne - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:36 am:
Wow, what an assortment of posts.
–these things happen, but i will sleep there a few times, move along
–i am buying one, no, two races for jobs that bug me
–high probability speaker is gone, but i dont really believe that
–all my reforms (no more “TA”?) have been blocked by
Madigan! I didnt realize it would be so hard,,,,to count to 30 and 60.
New best rauner quote from the interview: “I like to skate.”
- Ginhouse Tommy - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:40 am:
He’s not going anywhere. You finally figured that out Einstein. You could have asked literally anybody under the dome and they would have told you that. I agree with wordslinger in that I don’t know why he wanted the job in the first place. Like Trump it’s an ego trip. He doesn’t want to govern just, dictate terms. And he hasn’t learned a thing. He also has made a ton of enemies even in his own party. What a dufus.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 11:44 am:
== I have no idea why he wants a second term, what he hopes to do, … ==
My assumptions are:
1) Finish destroying the State unions after a favorable (to him) Janus ruling
2) continuing the push for RTW
3) try to control the remap
4) try to stop a progressive income tax
I don’t see any of these being of much overall good for the State.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 12:09 pm:
This dude is giving me whiplash. It’s the sign of a flailing candidate.
- Annonin' - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 12:33 pm:
Did the vacation home he used last week have some sort of electro shock machine…that malfunctioned?
- Great Caesar's Ghost! - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 12:37 pm:
Does the Governor understand that there can only be a graduated income tax if approved by a constitutional amendment referendum??
- m - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 12:52 pm:
=I’ve never been able to identify any positive reasons why Rauner wanted the gig, never been able to discern any real good he wanted to accomplish in his shallow, robotic talking points.=
You just picture Rauner, Griffin, Uihlein, etc. sitting around the country club complaining about Illinois government.
“These guys are fools, why don’t they get it.” “We get it, so we just need to find someone that can go in there and fix it!” Rauner, as the most politically involved, and pusher of the infamous political emails, etc, raises his hand.
That’s a simplification, but I’ve always thought that’s the way he ended up running. Those guys sent “their guy” to show everyone how it’s done.
- Boone's is Back - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 2:51 pm:
This guy is living in a fantasy world.
- ecommerce jobs seattle - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 6:24 pm:
Amazon Web Companies is an Equal Opportunity Employer. http://www.iassoft.com/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/21451/Default.aspx
- https://www.one-mate.com/profile-2416/info/ - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 8:16 pm:
What is your on-line advertising philosophy and strategy? https://www.one-mate.com/profile-2416/info/
- Sputnik - Thursday, Jan 4, 18 @ 10:19 pm:
I find it interesting that this thread is foaming over Rauner. But Madigan is rarely held accountable. Gosh, I’d like to see them both go.
Madigan is 75 years old. I doubt he’ll still be the Speaker in 10 years. Something to look forward to.
- Retired Educator - Friday, Jan 5, 18 @ 7:05 am:
I wouldn’t vote for Rauner if he was the only one running and I was forced to vote. He has done nothing, accomplished nothing, and has no moral compass. He is right about one thing, we need a change. We need someone who wants to at least try to do the job of Governor.
- Rabid - Friday, Jan 5, 18 @ 8:26 am:
bruce rauner validates that he is a lair, far out