* Wall St. Journal…
In 2015, Mr. Rauner says, public-employee unions complained to Mr. Madigan that the new governor was too stubborn a negotiator. The speaker pushed through a bill to strip the governor of his authority in contract negotiations in favor of a “labor arbitrator”—an attempt, Mr. Rauner says, to “take away my most fundamental right as governor to represent taxpayers.”
Mr. Rauner vetoed the legislation. In Illinois it takes three-fifths of each legislative chamber to override a veto, and Democrats had the requisite supermajorities. Yet the House sustained Mr. Rauner’s veto. “I got one Democrat,” he says. “Boy, did we work our tails off. We got one Democrat to stay in New York at the U.S. Open during the vote override.”
There is evidence that Dunkin may have gone to the US open during that vote, so the governor could be telling the truth. But Gov. Rauner also told some of his usual whoppers to the paper’s editorial board, so you’re guess is as good as mine.
…Adding… From comments…
HOW exactly did he get that Dem to stay in New York? That’s a much more interesting question.
Agreed.
- Wow - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:04 am:
Didn’t realize how low the talent pool is at the WSJ. The writer obviously just took the Gov at his word on everything. The reporter didn’t research or challenge lying Brucie at any point.
- Thoughts Matter - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:14 am:
Taking his words at face value- they worked their tails off to get 1 Democratic legislator to skip a vote. Why then should I believe him when he says that 30-40 Democratic legislators are on his side on lots of issues? If you have to work that hard for one- how can you possibly persuade 30?
I do however remember the Dunkin absence. At least 1 other legislator checked themselves out of a hospital to vote.
- wordslinger - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:14 am:
Wow, the WSJ edit board has always been wack-a-doo, infamous for being ignorant of what’s printed in their own news pages. That pre-dates Murdoch.
Obviously, the model for the tronc edit board.
- wordslinger - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:18 am:
This sort of fawning, unquestioning WSJ write-up is what I think Rauner wanted to get out of being governor. This is exactly what he spent all that dough for.
He sure doesn’t have much interest in anything to do with the job. But he likes to talk about himself to an adoring sycophant.
- Stand Tall - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:20 am:
The main point is that the contract negotiations stayed where they should have been negotiated at, you shouldn’t change the rules to benefit your campaign contributors.
- What? - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:26 am:
Doesn’t Rauner realize that he just admitted to engaging in the very Springfield political tactics he promised to clean up?
- Honeybadger - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:34 am:
- What? - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:26 am:
Doesn’t Rauner realize that he just admitted to engaging in the very Springfield political tactics he promised to clean up?
Ummmmm…. he doesn’t believe it applies to him?
- Claud Peppers - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:37 am:
The real question is how did he get the Democrat to stay in New York?
- Centennial - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:50 am:
HOW exactly did he get that Dem to stay in New York? That’s a much more interesting question.
- Retired Educator - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:55 am:
Isn’t there something borderline illegal about bribing someone to violate the public trust? How can the Governor brag about rigging the system, while screaming daily the system is rigged? I am totally amazed that this guy has even 26% approval. Who are the people who could support this nonsense? Remember people you get what you deserve, by voting for Rauner. Four more years of ineptitude, and falsehood. He has done nothing to help the state, and I see no chance he would improve in another term.
- Norseman - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 9:59 am:
=== HOW exactly did he get that Dem to stay in New York? ===
Jobs or money.
- Annonin' - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 10:02 am:
No report of “inkind contribution” so guessin’ GovJunk just bribed the guy? Other options?
- Barrington - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 10:25 am:
Yikes, isn’t this almost admitting quid pro quo?
- PublicServant - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 10:27 am:
The 26% pretty much just want state government gone.
- Juice - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 10:27 am:
Maybe the LIG or the OEIG should ask that question.
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 10:30 am:
If there was any doubt that public sector unions are the tail wagging the dog this eliminates it.
Democrats claim to be the party of working people but they have zero reservations raising taxes in the most regressive way on lower income and middle class families- reducing their wages and standard of living so government union special interests can receive ridiculous perks on overtime and other work rules, and Cadillac health and pension plans.
When the unions tell the Speaker to jump, he says “how high?”
When they want taxes raised on working people he says “how high?”
- Nick Name - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 11:07 am:
===We got one Democrat to stay in New York at the U.S. Open during the vote override.”===
It didn’t occur to Taranto to ask some follow-up questions about that?
“Uh, really? Which Democrat? What do you mean by ‘got’? Who paid for it? Did the money come from your campaign fund or some other fund? What other incentives did you offer him? Is this even legal? This is on the record, right?”
Just what passes for journalism at the WSJ these days?
- WhoKnew - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 11:12 am:
=== HOW exactly did he get that Dem to stay in New York? ===
$50 to mark line 121 ring a bell with anyone? /s
- wordslinger - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 11:18 am:
–If there was any doubt that public sector unions are the tail wagging the dog this eliminates it.–
Huh? I thought the thread was about Rauner bragging about he somehow got Dunkin to stay in New York and duck a vote.
What thread are you reading?
You’re never going to make the St. Petersburg Bots if you don’t up your game.
- Whatever - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 11:20 am:
Lucky Pierre’s knowledge of the relations between the speaker and the unions obviously goes back to about 2016.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 11:24 am:
“HOW exactly did he get that Dem to stay in New York? That’s a much more interesting question.”
$1.3 million from Rauner-aligned Illinois Opportunity Project
2/1/16 - $500K
3/4/16 - $300K
3/14/18 - $500K
But there is nothing to see here folks…..
- Jack Kemp - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 12:14 pm:
There’s an odd number of folks here with a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. Or a few mind readers. What gives?
- A guy - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 12:23 pm:
C’mon. Everyone knows how hard it is to get to Chicago from NYC in perfect weather…Must be at least a couple flights a day, right? /s
- Quizzical - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 12:43 pm:
While it’s possible that Rauner promised Dunkin some illegal consideration for his absence, it is also possible that Rauner only had to play with Dunkin’s vanity to get him away to NYC during the vote. At the time, Dunkin said some things about payback for all the times Madigan ignored him. I could imagine that Rauner played on Dunkin’s ego, told him how important he would be if he stuck it to MJM, and promised Dunkin a seat on the reviewers’ stand for the ‘Kick Mike Madigan out of Town’ parade that seems to be the only policy goal of this administration.
- wordslinger - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 12:44 pm:
–There’s an odd number of folks here with a subscription to the Wall Street Journal.–
What’s “odd” about reading The Wall Street Journal? It’s the highest circulation newspaper in the country.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 1:00 pm:
“Cadillac health and pension plans.”
That’s easy to say for someone supporting a person whose income more than tripled in his first year as governor—literally while he was trying to slash state workers.
Rauner said he invested public employee pensions “in Illinois and around America.” Just how many public troughs was Bruce gorging in?
- Annonin' - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 1:08 pm:
Mr/Ms jack Kemp
Story has been floating around all weekend
Natasha posted a free link about 6 a.m.
He repeats a string of old lies and then tosses his moment with Dunk.
- Arthur Andersen - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 1:24 pm:
Apparently English grammar, diction, and speech are not subjects of instruction at Dartmouth.
- Demoralized - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 1:30 pm:
==When the unions tell the Speaker to jump, he says “how high?”==
You are about as good at lying as the Governor.
- Arthur Andersen - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 3:01 pm:
Grandson, from memory a large handful of big pensions. Doesn’t take a lot of nine-figure commitments to get a fund rollin’. Beyond that, you’ll have to hit the Google.
- Mama - Monday, Mar 5, 18 @ 5:18 pm:
=== HOW exactly did he get that Dem to stay in New York? ===
Following the money and you will find your answer. Didn’t Rauner give Dunkin like a million bucks at the end of Dunkin’s term?