* Kinda small ball, but here’s Politifact…
Incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner struck a number of familiar notes in his speech Tuesday night as he claimed a narrow primary victory over insurgent Republican challenger Jeanne Ives, talking about tax cuts, job growth and term limits for elected leaders.
But the multi-millionaire Rauner also sought to frame his coming general election battle against Democratic nominee J.B. Pritzker as one pitting the interests of the little guy against entrenched political insiders allied with the billionaire Pritzker.
Then Rauner threw in a new wrinkle to his standard line of attack. “Newspapers have framed this election as my fight against the Illinois mafia,” he told the applauding crowd. “But it’s really the people versus the Illinois mafia.” […]
Incendiary rhetoric has been a staple of Rauner speeches for years, but in upping the ante even more in his fight against Pritzker it appears the governor is also projecting his own words onto the thoughts of others. Newspapers, or more precisely one column in the Wall Street Journal [which quotes him as saying of Madigan’s dual roles “It’s a mafia protection racket”], did not frame Rauner’s re-election fight in terms of a struggle with a mafia-like force.
That is Rauner’s own characterization and he is simply quoting himself while seeking to attribute the observation to others.
This dizzying feedback loop earns Rauner’s primary night claim a False.
* Rauner’s Politifact scorecard so far…
- @misterjayem - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:17 am:
Bruce was caught in a dizzying feedback loop?
OODA thunk it?
– MrJM
- Not Rich - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:22 am:
Brucie better be careful with that “mafia” crap.. since Diana says they are moving to Italy after he loses in November..
- jimk849 - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:29 am:
What does pants on fire mean?
- Steve Rogers - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:30 am:
I’m honestly surprised that there are only 4 “pants on fire” rulings. I would have guessed more like 20.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:30 am:
More nonsense from Politifact a supposed non partisan refereee.
The Wall Street Journal is in fact a newspaper last time I checked.
Have other news papers called out the corruption in Illinois and Rauner’s efforts to fight it?
Perhaps Politifact can fact check JB’s claim that Governor Rauner unleashed a crisis that supposedly the Democratic legislature led by Speaker Madigan was not complicit in for decades.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:32 am:
I dunno to me threatening to go after someone’s family sounds like a Mafia tactic.
- Hi - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:33 am:
Test
- Roman - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:36 am:
This was the equivalent of Trump’s often repeated line: “A lot of people are saying…..”
- Perrid - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:36 am:
I wonder how they decide what to fat check and what not to. My gut feeling says there are a lot more Pants on Fire ratings waiting out there than the 4 they list…
- JS Mill - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:38 am:
=OODA thunk it?=
Lol! Shut the blog down, @MisterJayem wins the internet!
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:41 am:
“That is Rauner’s own characterization and he is simply quoting himself while seeking to attribute the observation to others. This dizzying feedback loop earns Rauner’s primary night claim a False.”
Ummm, isn’t this his entire MO. He hears himself tell these Madigan stories then says he heard it so it must be true.
- Soapbox Derby - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:44 am:
Politifact hasn’t bothered to grade JB on his response(s) to his offshore trust funds, or toilet removals.
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/jb-pritzker/
- Norseman - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:45 am:
Well said, MrJM.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:45 am:
===in fact a newspaper===
A newspaper. One. Not multiple as he claimed. And it only included that because Rauner said it. Hey, it’s classic campaign nonsense, but he said what he said.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:50 am:
“Perhaps Politifact can fact check JB’s claim” How does the validity (or lack thereof) have anything to do with the validity of what Rauner said? LP: You’re in for a long 7 months if that’s the best you can do.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:52 am:
– my fight against the Illinois mafia–
The Elliott Ness costume must be ready. Robert Stack or Kevin Costner, you think?
Such a weird spin. Do you think Rauner is unaware that, historically, there has been a mafia in Illinois? It was a real thing?
It’s certainly not what it used to be, but it’s still around. He might want to ask around at a couple of township GOP organizations.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:57 am:
–“A lot of people are saying…..”
–
That’s the mindless crutch of the social media age. “A lot of people are saying” all sorts of bat-stuff crazy on the innertubes.
You still should put it to the test.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 11:58 am:
–..called out the corruption in Illinois and Rauner’s efforts to fight it?-
Could you be a wee bit more specific?
- Gooner - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 12:00 pm:
Let’s step back for a second. Sure, it is a dizzying loop.
However, it is interesting to hear someone who wants to appeal to the right use a dog whistle that offends Italians rather than black people.
That almost seems like progress.
- Soapbox Derby - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 12:11 pm:
@Skeptic
Just pointing out Rauner has been “rated” by Politifact 18 times and Pritzker just once.
Of course, each statement must stand on its own veracity.
- A Jack - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 12:21 pm:
Rauner is Governor and telling the whole truth only 17% of the time is a dismal record. But it is on par with the rest of his record.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 12:26 pm:
It might be time to change the lingo. I think we should all petition Politifact to change its labeling system to the following:
True
Mostly True
Half True
Partly Rauner
Mostly Rauner
Full Rauner
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 12:31 pm:
Called out the corruption in Illinois?
Perhaps you have not been patting attention.
Illinois leads the nation in distrust of state government.
JB is strangely silent on this, saying he does not want to call out Democrats.A little bit hypocritical don’t you think?
Rauner has been most specific on the unholy alliance of elected legislators who moonlight as property tax lawyers in a system that is the essence of corruption in Illinois.
Raising taxes on their constituents and then lowering them- for 1/3 of the savings in the first year to them. Sound on the up and up to you?
Voters rightly rejected Joe Berrios reelection.
- Winnin’ - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 12:35 pm:
Rauner has learned well from Trump. Expecting more of this.
- Jocko - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 12:51 pm:
==corruption in Illinois and Rauner’s efforts to fight it==
Like stopping Deloitte’s money grab or Debt transparency? Oops, those were Mendoza’s
Like hiring people for non-existent/duplicate jobs?
Like making blind trust deals on the Gov.’s porch?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 1:06 pm:
LP, I was referring to something other than political talking points.
I suggest you and the rest of the Untouchables direct your evidence of “Illinois mafia” corruption to the U.S. Attorney’s office. They’re pretty good at that, historically.
Check out the list of politicians that Fitzgerald indicted and convicted in ten years — and those he did not.
- JoanP - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 1:37 pm:
==What does pants on fire mean?==
Were you never in grade school? “Liar, liar, pants on fire!”
- Demoralized - Thursday, Mar 22, 18 @ 2:41 pm:
==More nonsense from Politifact==
Nonsense? Just because you don’t like the answer doesn’t make it nonsense. I know you don’t like facts and all but it’s pretty easy to figure out if the Governor is lying or not and he seems to do a lot of lying.