Dems pounce on Greitens development
Thursday, Jan 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* DGA…
Today, the Democratic Governors Association called on Governor Bruce Rauner to rescind the endorsement from Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, following a KMOV report that Greitens was accused of blackmailing a mistress to keep his extramarital affair silent.
Rauner’s campaign has spent $1.3 million dollars on an ad featuring governors of neighboring states, including Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, that has been running pretty consistently since October. And Rauner’s been a big fan of Greitens, sending him a check for $100,000 just a year-and-a-half ago.
Rauner’s response? Well, the ad has been quietly taken off his YouTube account. (Don’t worry, it’s still available here.) And when Rauner’s team was asked if they would take down the ad, they simply said it had run its course anyway.
“Bruce Rauner must renounce the support of Missouri Governor Eric Greitens and promise to stop using him in ads,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Bruce Rauner proudly accepted Governor Greitens’ endorsement this year; now it’s time for him to rescind it. Governor Rauner cannot simply wish-away the $1.3 million he spent promoting Gov. Greitens in Illinois.”
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner-ally Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is under fire after KMOV published a shocking and disturbing report: “In a recording obtained by News 4, a woman says she had a sexual encounter with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and that he tried to blackmail her to keep the encounter quiet.”
Rauner is closely allied with Greitens, airing campaign commercials featuring the Missouri governor badmouthing Illinois and previously contributing $100,000 to his political campaign. After these disturbing allegations, will Bruce Rauner ask Eric Greitens to resign?
“Our failed governor is a close ally of Greitens, but Bruce Rauner has quietly pulled ads featuring him from TV, while remaining silent on the Missouri governor’s behavior,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Eric Greitens is accused of engaging in disgusting conduct that disqualifies him from holding public office, but will Bruce Rauner call for his resignation?”
- Reaganing - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:15 pm:
The 2018 cycle has already jumped the shark
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:18 pm:
Let Missouri deal with its guy. Rauner has much to account for, but being a distant political pal of a soon ruined man, is not on him. If that were his worst fault, we’d all be a Lot better off.
- Annonin' - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:18 pm:
We are certain GovJunk will demand refund of the $100K talent fee he paid GovTrim to be in the ad. And he will renounce these ugly allegations.
And then it will be back to pickin the riders of the Quincy Water Clown car. Pronto
- Sue - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:22 pm:
How Dumb is this. The State has a barrel full of problems but Dems want to focus on MO.
- People Over Parties - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:28 pm:
To be fair, some campaign criticism is valid but this is ridiculous, almost like Guzzardi tweeting Rauner asking what he thinks of Roy Moore just to potentially embarrass him. Silliness.
- PJ - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:29 pm:
===Dems want to focus on MO.===
Who was it who put the Governor of Missouri in a campaign commercial that ran constantly for weeks in Illinois?
- don the legend - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:31 pm:
Most of us were probably counseled by our elders to remember that “we are judged by the company we keep”.
JB has Blago now Rauner has Greitens.
- Real - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:32 pm:
@Sue
The state has a barrel full of problems and GovJunk is the solution for neither of them.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:34 pm:
ILGOP probably shouldn’t have gone as hard as they did about the Al franken money. What goes around…
- Baloneymous - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:37 pm:
Sue—-
Remind me again. Who until today was running ads featuring state governors, including Missouri’s, bashing Illinois?
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:39 pm:
==The State has a barrel full of problems but Dems want to focus on MO.==
Rauner’s the one who put him in an ad. This isn’t like Roy Moore, though it’s not escaping my notice that we have to differentiate the level of Republican scandals.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:48 pm:
Where was the outrage when Pritzker used Elie Wiesel in his ads? Just months earlier claims of sexual assault against came out against Wiesel.
- Chris Widger - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:48 pm:
I think this thread is great evidence of the fact that Rauner’s actions are irrelevant and unrelated to the criticisms levied against him. Some people are mad about the Bears new head coach, and that’s sort of the same phenomenon.
- Gooner - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:49 pm:
I’m looking forward to Gov. Rauner telling us why the party thought enough of have him in ad suddenly means nothing.
Either the Missouri Gov. is important or he’s not. The GOP sure thought he was important until yesterday.
Odd how are going to say he doesn’t matter.
Combined with other ads linking GOP funding to Moore, this is going to leave a mark.
- Ron - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:54 pm:
Wow, a republican governor supported a republican running for governor.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:57 pm:
Sue, Rauner is the one who thought it was important to spend a million-plus to put this guy on the TV box in Illinois.
Liked him so much, gave him $100K, too.
- Anon0091 - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 3:59 pm:
“Where was the outrage when Pritzker used Elie Wiesel in his ads? Just months earlier claims of sexual assault against came out against Wiesel.”
You didn’t seriously just attack JB for using the most well-known Holocaust survivor in his ads, did you? You must be a veteran of the BTIA.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:04 pm:
==Where was the outrage when Pritzker used Elie Wiesel in his ads?==
You just go ahead and noodle on the question, “Why didn’t Bruce Rauner attack Elie Wiesel?” a little bit, see what you come back with.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:21 pm:
A holocaust survivor that sexually assaulted and an ex navy seal that committed adultry and possibly blackmailed, which one is worse?
- DuPage Bard - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:21 pm:
uh oh looks like there may be an ad coming that may possibly interject into a primary. Good Jeanne will gladly take the new Pritzker ad on why Rauner is a horrible person.
What goes around comes around.
BTW Bruce you’re running against a woman, in case you didn’t know, your silence on this will be deafening.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:21 pm:
Rauner’s new “costume”- “Eric who?”
- Just Me - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:21 pm:
It’s so annoying when these groups and these pols DEMAND INSTANT ACTION and behave like the world is coming to an end. Do you really think Illinois citizens care about a scandal over in Missouri? Lets talk about jobs. Lets talk about economic development. Let’s talk about education. Let’s talk about healthcare. Let’s talk about the state budget.
OH NO! We must waste all our time with a stupid sex scandal over in Missouri. Give me a break.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:23 pm:
==A holocaust survivor that sexually assaulted and an ex navy seal that committed adultry and possibly blackmailed, which one is worse?==
I don’t know, why don’t you keep asking this question and see how soon Rauner’s team asks you to cut an ad.
- PJ - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:24 pm:
===Rauner’s actions are irrelevant and unrelated to the criticisms levied against him===
Right. Who could possibly level against legitimate criticisms against the ultra-successful Bruce Rauner?
Give me an effing break.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:28 pm:
==Do you really think Illinois citizens care about a scandal over in Missouri? ==
Rauner does. He gave the guy $100k. Put him in an ad on IL TV.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:30 pm:
Just Me- Madigan didn’t take the ad down. The IL Democrats didn’t take the ad down. Missouri didn’t take the ad down. Rauner took the ad down. I’m sure he had a reason, and it wasn’t because we weren’t spending enough time on the budget or social issues or Medicaid.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:31 pm:
===Rauner’s actions are irrelevant and unrelated to the criticisms levied against him===
You mean like squeeze the beast, reneging on contracts, adding $12B to the backlog of bills, gutting higher ed, failing to introduce a balanced budget, hinky lease deals, chronic lying… those kind of irrelevant things?
- slow down - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:31 pm:
I think anonymous is on to something. Rauner should definitely go after Pritzker for his connection to the best known holocaust surivior/nazi hunter.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:35 pm:
Let me know when they pounce on Silverstein.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:36 pm:
Was Bruce there?
How was he involved in this man’s affair?
I can’t imagine how this effects Illinois.
Enough with this kind of nonsense.
- PJ - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:50 pm:
===I can’t imagine how this effects Illinois.===
Is that what you were saying when Bruce ran a $1.2 million ad buy featuring this guy for months?
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 4:58 pm:
If it’s just stuff and nonsense, then Rauner should continue running the ad. That HE decided to pull it kinda puts this all in a different light. Maybe he’ll just re-edit it and cut Greitens out to save his investment in himself and the money he’s already spent in ad buys.
- Workin’ - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 5:06 pm:
$1.3 million (The ad buy plus the contribution) would go a long way to help Time’s Up and their efforts to provide legal support to women who can’t afford to take on harassers (or blackmailers) on their own.
- SSL - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 5:10 pm:
You always need to be careful when you professionally align yourself with someone, and in politics you need to be really careful. You just never know.
It’s fair play for JB and the Dems to jump on this, because Rauner and company would do the same thing. Politics is a slimy business, especially here in Illinois.
Makes you proud doesn’t it.
- DuPage Bard - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 5:33 pm:
The “it doesn’t matter” crew or “what’s Missouri got to do with Illinois” crew, nothing. It had nothing to do with Illinois until Bruce Rauner made it part of Illinois. You can deflect, you can distract but this is another miscue by Bruce Rauner.
Worst Republican governor in America. Ann Coulter vilified Governor, Failed Governor, Lying Governor, Dead Veterans Governor, Hiding FOIA request Governor, Staff scandal Governor,…… you get my point. These are facts it’s time for a new GOP leader going into 2018 general. If you’re fighting for him your losing the war.
- NorthsideNoMore - Thursday, Jan 11, 18 @ 7:29 pm:
Political noise in the jet wash of a 747. Edit the ad and move on or make a new one if its resonating which it might be? Anyone have some Polling numbers they want to share.
- Rabid - Friday, Jan 12, 18 @ 7:33 am:
months of validating the turnaround agenda is paying off now
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Friday, Jan 12, 18 @ 8:07 am:
Ann Coulter vilifying Rainer is a check in the plus column. He needs more of these.
- Rabid - Friday, Jan 12, 18 @ 8:28 am:
ann’s quote on tv read with a Swedish accent
- Chris Widger - Friday, Jan 12, 18 @ 9:08 am:
==If you’re fighting for him your losing the war.==
That’s true, Rauner is very likely to lose, which is why Poland should have just capitulated in 1939. Why fight losing wars?
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 12, 18 @ 9:12 am:
–That’s true, Rauner is very likely to lose, which is why Poland should have just capitulated in 1939–
Exactly. Just like that. That’s BTIA(TM) thinkin’ and a writin’ and it’s finest.
- low level - Friday, Jan 12, 18 @ 9:12 am:
So Bruce’s attempt to get IL voters to care about Eric Greitens in MO not only wasnt effective but also blew up completely.
Total incompetence.
- illini97 - Friday, Jan 12, 18 @ 9:55 am:
Who knew that when GovJunk tied his campaign to the coattails of other Republican Governors it was possible one of those people would become an anchor around his neck?
Not the BTIA(TM), that’s who.