* Rauner campaign…
Hey, all-
Yesterday, Politico reported that the Pritzker campaign will spend double whatever the Rauner campaign spends. They quote a Pritzker source saying, “For every dollar he spends, we’re ready to spend two.”
Who says that?
The Pritzker campaign is claiming that their budget won’t be built around what’s most effective. Instead, they just want to arrogantly brag about their wealth.
“Based off his conversations with Blagojevich, Pritzker has already shown a willingness to try to buy political office.” -Will Allison, Rauner campaign spokesman
The Pritzker campaign’s messaging machine is usually tight as a drum, but that one somehow got through. It’s not a good look. I assume someone was just doing some tough-guy, hyperbolic bragging.
Partisans may cheer it on (and since his new ad leaves much to be desired, he could use that), but as Will alludes to, the vow is impractical. I mean, if Rauner puts 10,000 points on Chicago TV then Pritzker is gonna push 20,000 just because he’s got the dough? Ridiculous. Not to mention that such selfish spending could drown out or even potentially crowd out other Democratic candidates - particularly must-win Democratic congressional candidates.
But, hey, if this means that if Rauner spends $4 million on Erika Harold then Pritzker will spend $8 million on Kwame Raoul, I’m sure there won’t be any loud objections from the Raoul campaign.
Also, it is a bit rich that the Rauner campaign is upset about somebody else trying to buy an election.
* I asked Galia Slayen at the Pritzker campaign for a response and this is what she sent…
Our campaign is focused on doing what is necessary to communicate that JB will bring real change to Illinois, beat Bruce Rauner and end his failed time as governor, while also helping turn out Democrats up and down the ballot. If this failed governor wants to ask “who says that,” we suggest taking a look at these:
• On his role as governor: “I’m not in charge, I’m trying to get to be in charge.”
• On his leadership style: “Crisis creates opportunity. Crisis creates leverage to change.”
• On if he voted for Donald Trump: “We need to focus. Focus, Amanda, is a good thing.”
• On Quincy: “Our team did exactly what they should have done, exactly when they should have done it” and “these things happen.”
• “Not every job should be in America.”
• On the budget crisis he created: “Well one of the challenges is for our human services and it’s intolerable that they have been hurt, it’s not right.”
• On spending the tax increase he opposed: “Isn’t that disingenuous?” Rauner: “Not at all…”
• Before firing his whole staff… again: “So, we’re, we have a lot of folks in the administration, we’re building the Best Team in America to turn the government around.”
• On not denouncing David Duke as a racist: “But you won’t call him racist?” Rauner: “No place.”
• On the right to choose: “I am the strongest supporter of candidates for office who are pro-life. Nobody has worked harder to elect pro-life Republicans than I have.”
• On letting voters know where he stands: “I have no obligation to comment on every possible policy change in Washington, DC. I never have and never will.”
• On gay marriage: “So gay marriage, I have not supported it, I will not advocate for it.”
• On lowering the minimum wage: “I will advocate moving the Illinois minimum wage back to the national minimum wage.”
• On proudly shutting down the government: “I may have to take a strike and shut down the government for a few weeks and kind of regroup with these contracts. That’s a possibility. I don’t know any politicians who’d be willing to do that. I won’t be happy to do that, but I will do it proudly.”
• On calling Ives: Rauner said they spoke “right after the election,” but Ives spokeswoman said that Rauner “is not telling the truth” and “what he is saying happened did not happen.”
• On chocolate milk: “I’ll drink it, I’ll be proud to…it’s really really good, to it. Diversity!”
*** UPDATE *** The latest Comcast cable TV buy report shows Rauner spending $241,380 on ads over 11 days while Pritzker is dropping $177,719 over five days.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:03 pm:
JB scares me.
- Steve Bartin - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:05 pm:
I doubt this will matter much. JB doesn’t have to spend money to win. Even if Rauner spent 5 times what JB is spending: he still couldn’t win Cook County…
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:07 pm:
===Also, it is a bit rich that the Rauner campaign is upset about somebody else trying to buy an election.===
Heck, Rauner, in a package deal bought a party and two caucuses…
To Ms. Slayen’s response,
A video mashup of the hits would be fun.
As a white male, Bruce Rauner would not like that David Duke response revisited, for example.
To the Pritzker money gaffe,
Wealthy candidates don’t talk about how much money they’ll spend. They just let the A-1s speak for themselves.
- Anon221 - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:07 pm:
To Galia’s response- There’s a lot of ad makin’ potentialities in those there quotes;)
- Actual Red - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:08 pm:
As someone who has been pushing the “JB Pritzker is an out of touch plutocrat” narrative for a while, I kind of think no one cares. We all know he’s insanely wealthy. If Dem voters cared, he wouldn’t have romped the primary by such a wide margin. If moderate voters who didn’t vote in the Dem primary care, they don’t have a better option. Republicans might not like him but I don’t see them voting for him anyway, and again, they elected the also extremely wealthy Rauner.
- TopHatMonocle - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:11 pm:
It’s rich that Rauner is the one complaining about someone trying to buy a political office. Never thought I’d see the day back in 2014. Oh how the tables have turned.
- TopHatMonocle - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:13 pm:
Missed that sentence in your post, I swear. But seriously, that’s not a winning argument for Rauner.
- Publius - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:15 pm:
I read it as, we will not let the current governor buy another election.
- Perrid - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:28 pm:
I didn’t take it as bragging, I took it as “If he hits us we’ll hit him twice as hard” which is a less arrogant way of saying it. The message does come off a bit garbled though.
- Come on man! - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:28 pm:
This will be JB’s “47%” or “Basket full of deplorable” comment.
- Albany Park Patriot - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:29 pm:
Rauner won his party’s primary last time by bragging about the money he was willing to spend. Does his campaign deny this? Also, what does it get them for complaining about it? Sympathetic press?
- A guy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:30 pm:
It’s easy to imagine a staffer in either campaign spouting this bravado. Probably quoting their bosses.
Someone’s mom is going to be accused of wearing army boots any second.
- Northsider - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:56 pm:
A Guy @ 1:30:
To be followed immediately by “[Insert name here]; his mother was a hamster, and his father smelled of elderberries!”
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 2:10 pm:
Geez
The last gubernatorial election was bought - so what’s new, other than the fact that it is “the people’s party” nominee doing the buying?
Paul Simon would be upset, but the Democrats have forgotten Joe Sixpack since Bill Clinton left.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 2:17 pm:
it’s not the out of touch plutocrat thing that is JB’s problem. it is arrogance. if he’s not careful, it will be his undoing.
- Anon0091 - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 3:22 pm:
“JB scares me.”
You scare too easy. Boo!
- Jibba - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 3:46 pm:
People use criticisms like arrogant and elitist when they have no real criticisms to make, but they are tough labels to shake.
- A guy - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 3:47 pm:
Ns 1:56..lol.
- DarkHorse - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 5:11 pm:
Rauner has no intention of giving Harold an additional $4 million. If he did, she wouldn’t be working as hard as she is raising non-Rauner money. Plus, most of the money he’ll give her will be “in-kind” ads where she repeats Rauner’s anti-Madigan lines. He gives her maybe another $1 million.
- Matt Vernau - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 5:19 pm:
Regardless of Party affiliation rich men buying elections scares me. Additionally reading how many political types think Blago’s hard time is too much makes me wonder how much else is really for sale.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 10:50 pm:
This thread gave me an earworm…”Be My Baby” by the Ronettes, when Ronnie Spector sings
“I’ll make you happy, baby, just wait and see
For every kiss you give me I’ll give you three.”