Today, the JB Pritzker campaign launched “Sham Ribbon Cutting Alerts” to highlight Bruce Rauner’s election year stunts after spending years failing to invest in Illinois’ crumbling infrastructure.
In 2014, Rauner criticized election year ribbon cutting and promises saying, “what I won’t do… is fail to invest in our infrastructure for years and run around at the last-minute making promises.” Now, with a record lacking any accomplishments and a reelection campaign in shambles, Rauner is doing just that — running around at the last-minute and making promises.
In today’s sham ribbon cutting, the failed governor “unveiled” a train project started in 2012 using money from a Department of Transportation Rauner decimated during his budget crisis, stalling $3.3 billion worth of projects and laying off 20,000 workers.
“As our failed governor runs around making last-minute promises and taking credit for other people’s accomplishments, Illinois’ infrastructure crumbles,” said Pritzker campaign spokesman Jason Rubin. “Bruce Rauner stood by as our state’s roads, rails, and waterways fell into disrepair, and a sham election year ribbon cutting tour won’t change that fact.”
RAUNER: “Right now he’s running around the state right now committing hundreds of millions of dollars to projects to buy votes with taxpayer money. He’s going to, I think it’s Southern Illinois. Just promised a project down there cause he’s going for an endorsement in a local paper. Went to Quincy, promised money for a project there cause he wants the endorsement of the paper. He’s running around making promises with taxpayer money to try to buy votes and influence folks. That’s what he does, that’s what these politicians do, use taxpayer money to buy votes.”
REPORTER: “So you’re not gonna have any projects to announce when you’re governor? You’re not gonna do an infrastructure plan? Every governor does in infrastructure plan.”
RAUNER: “I will have a detailed infrastructure plan, it will grow our infrastructure. What I won’t do with Pat Quinn, like Pat Quinn is, is fail to invest in our infrastructure for years and run around at the last minute making promises where he doesn’t have the money to keep them.”
Quinn did that because it usually works. Same for Rauner. Rauner criticized Quinn four years ago, and now he’s getting it in return. Standard campaign operating procedure.
Isn’t this more evidence that voters like their government spending their money on infrastructure? And that their dislike of taxes is less than their like of public investments that improve their lives?
I get that people would like to be for the spending and against the taxes but the point is a broader one: if very smart, savvy political operations all universally think ribbon cuttings are really popular and important to show how they are spending taxpayer money on investments, isn’t that evidence that the anti-tax argument is less compelling than the pro-spending argument? (Otherwise, the anti-tax electeds wouldn’t embrace the pro-spending political pops).
- Not a Billionaire - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:09 am:
I took the Macomb bypass yesterday at 5 pm.I never saw a vehicle in front or behind me and only passed 6 vehicles, no trucks,over the 6.6 miles. Rauner said it needs to be 4 lanes. On roads he and IDOT need to look at Missouri at least at affordable rural road improvements.
LOL, they won the primary and are leading in the general, but one guy who was never going to vote for their candidate anyway doesn’t like their work, so they gotta go. Sure.
OW is famous for the phrase “Governor’s own..” and it is exactly right. Rauner will be pounded with his own words for the next six months and rightly so because “Governors own”.
This makes him look foolish at best and dishonest at worst. Good hit.
==LOL, they won the primary and are leading in the general==
As bad as they are, they had all the money in the world against everyone else in the primary…
That won’t be the case in the general…Both have enough money to wage against each other.
Pund and OW, I’m rating the video effort. Isn’t that what we do?
It’s been a long time since I’ve defended any action of this Gov. It’s very likely OW can even cite the actual date. Yes, I very much see the hypocrisy. Just as MJM’s “favorite legislator” was inanely inaccurate. I’ve been stating for a very long time that BR’s video and digital crew have been his most valuable asset. Hypocritical or not, they are framing the narrative and have been since jump street.
They’re still doing it. A Billionaire should be able to find a crew as good or better. He has chosen not to. That’s just plain idiotic to me.
- Dan Johnson - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:05 am:
Isn’t this more evidence that voters like their government spending their money on infrastructure? And that their dislike of taxes is less than their like of public investments that improve their lives?
I get that people would like to be for the spending and against the taxes but the point is a broader one: if very smart, savvy political operations all universally think ribbon cuttings are really popular and important to show how they are spending taxpayer money on investments, isn’t that evidence that the anti-tax argument is less compelling than the pro-spending argument? (Otherwise, the anti-tax electeds wouldn’t embrace the pro-spending political pops).
- Not a Billionaire - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:09 am:
I took the Macomb bypass yesterday at 5 pm.I never saw a vehicle in front or behind me and only passed 6 vehicles, no trucks,over the 6.6 miles. Rauner said it needs to be 4 lanes. On roads he and IDOT need to look at Missouri at least at affordable rural road improvements.
- A guy - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:11 am:
Uh, is this supposed to make him look bad? It doesn’t.
This crew needs replacing. They are bad at this.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:18 am:
==They are bad at this.==
LOL, they won the primary and are leading in the general, but one guy who was never going to vote for their candidate anyway doesn’t like their work, so they gotta go. Sure.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:29 am:
OW is famous for the phrase “Governor’s own..” and it is exactly right. Rauner will be pounded with his own words for the next six months and rightly so because “Governors own”.
This makes him look foolish at best and dishonest at worst. Good hit.
- A guy - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:33 am:
==LOL, they won the primary and are leading in the general==
As bad as they are, they had all the money in the world against everyone else in the primary…
That won’t be the case in the general…Both have enough money to wage against each other.
No one is “winning” in the primary yet.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:39 am:
A guy - surely you recognize Rauner’s hypocrisy. You were all over it on HB40.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 11:41 am:
===surely you recognize Rauner’s hypocrisy. You were all over it on HB40.===
- Prudent -
Fear not, Mr. Breen and his own righteous indignation was fleeting, - A Guy - has made clear his take… or has he?
- A guy - Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 12:26 pm:
Pund and OW, I’m rating the video effort. Isn’t that what we do?
It’s been a long time since I’ve defended any action of this Gov. It’s very likely OW can even cite the actual date. Yes, I very much see the hypocrisy. Just as MJM’s “favorite legislator” was inanely inaccurate. I’ve been stating for a very long time that BR’s video and digital crew have been his most valuable asset. Hypocritical or not, they are framing the narrative and have been since jump street.
They’re still doing it. A Billionaire should be able to find a crew as good or better. He has chosen not to. That’s just plain idiotic to me.