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Politifact rates Rauner Legionnaires’ claim ‘False’

Monday, Jun 18, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* A claim made by Gov. Rauner last week about the origins of Legionella bacteria in the plumbing at the Quincy Veterans Home has been rated ‘False’ by Politifact and the Better Government Association.

Rauner said during an event in Marion Mississippi River flood waters and strong storms in 2015 helped Legionella bacteria reach the Home. From the BGA in explaining the rating…

Former President George W. Bush clearly was powerless to stop Hurricane Katrina from slamming into New Orleans in 2005. The problem for Bush was how slowly his administration reacted to a tragedy with broad and fatal consequences once winds subsided and the devastation became clear.

Similarly, not even Rauner’s harshest critics have suggested he could have prevented the initial Legionnaires’ outbreak in 2015. But lawmakers from both parties and political opponents have blasted his administration for delays in responding to the crisis and possibly making it worse.

Rauner vehemently disagrees, and it’s not our purpose here to weigh in on who is right or wrong on that score. What is significant, however, is whether the trigger for the outbreak in any way affected the response, and the governor has provided no evidence for that being the case.

More background on the remark is here and here.

* This is the third time the Politifact-BGA partnership has stepped in to assess the validity of claims made about QVH. The first instance was a January ‘Half True’ rating of the Governor’s claim that Legionella bacteria can be found in most Illinois water systems. In March, the Pritzker campaign’s attempt to blame the Governor for a stomach virus outbreak at the Home mustered a ‘Mostly False’ rating.

14 Comments

- Retired Educator - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 9:18 am:
No one could have prevented the bacteria, but the slow walk reaction was very badly done. Because they hid the facts other people got sick, and deaths resulted. There is no way to defend this fiasco.

- wordslinger - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 9:24 am:
–“In 2015, we had massive floods and tornadoes,” the governor said.“The Mississippi River got a bunch of flooded water into it, a lot of dirt,…–

As opposed to when the river doesn’t have a lot of water and dirt “in it.”

Rauner lies all the time, so there are many categories for his constant whoppers: Whinin’ Victim, Mathematical Impossibility, Two-Faced Back-Stabbin’, Fact-Free Nonsense, Self-Aggrandizin’ Fantasy….

This one goes in the Incoherent Babblin’ category.

- Rabid - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 9:25 am:
Still looking for the cause of the outbreak, not the cause of the delayed response

- wordslinger - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 10:04 am:
–That doesn’t make them wrong, but it does make them insincere.–

LOL, so confused, and in so few words, too. Well done.

So, in this case, are they insincerely right, in your objective analysis?

Is objective analysis possible in your world? Any facts or truth?

- Skeptic - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 10:08 am:
“journalism with something to sell” Well, yeah, it’s called “subscriptions.” Rich does it too, that doesn’t mean the source is by definition biased.

- illini97 - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 10:11 am:
“It, like all journalism, is viewpoint journalism with something to sell.”

Oh my. So what, exactly, is it you think journalists do and are they the same as, say, people writing ad copy to move all these Honda Accords off the lot?

- Annonin' - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 10:11 am:
This is a hoot. On Sunday Sen. Brady told Rick Pearson GovJunk will run on his Quincy accomplishments as if he did something besides allowing 12 folks to die three years ago and cover up and solution. Maybe he get one his paid actors to make the pitch

- Rabid - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 10:16 am:
Not believing Rauners falsehoods makes you not express genuine feelings

- Deadbeat Conservative - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 10:37 am:
=Politifact is not an unbiased source and it’s dishonest to present it as such.=

Since blatant repeated lying is a cornerstone of the GOP platform nowadays, of course fact-checking is going to be biased against the GOP.
(Sorry Willy, Rauner is the top GOP state official)

- Anon221 - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 10:38 am:
“Because Mother Nature” will not hold up in court, and it is definitely not a reason for delaying action once the illness was identified. Re-elected or not this November, Rauner will be connected to this just as Blago was to his choices.

- walker - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 11:02 am:
“”viewpoint journalism “” is a fairly recent term, invented and presented by Fox News producers, to justify deliberately misleading television performances.

The term blurs the traditional line between news reporting and editorial comment. It is a deliberate obfuscation, promulgating the political stance that: “All news reporting is biased anyway, so don’t hold us up to any standards of accuracy.” This idea is foundational to successful propaganda.

To accuse Politifacts of that which it was set up specifically to counter, is the ultimate in gaslighting. Brilliant really.

- Da Big Bad Wolf - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 11:03 am:
==Politifact is not an unbiased source and it’s dishonest to present it as such.==

So Polifact was biased against Rauner when they reported this? https://capitolfax.com/2018/04/10/pritzker-claim-rated-mostly-false/

- Cheryl44 - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 12:31 pm:
Facts are stubborn things, right?

- Omg - Monday, Jun 18, 18 @ 1:10 pm:
Makes you wonder the lies he told to get that billion dollars in the bank

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