Pritzker’s Shameful Ad Facing Wide Criticism
Media from across the state has roundly criticized the latest ad by JB Pritzker for peddling lies. Despite the Rauner campaign’s clear rebuttal of claims made in the ad, the Pritzker team doubled down on their allegations despite clear falsehoods.
Take a look at how media from around the state covered Pritzker’s ad:
Chicago Tribune:
Rauner’s campaign noted that the governor late last month called for an end to Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy that labeled migrants entering the country as a criminal rather than civil matter. He called the policy “wrong” and “heartbreaking” and said while the nation needs to “secure our borders and stop illegal immigration,” a policy of “separating families is not the right answer.”
Pritzker’s ad quotes Rauner, suggesting he hadn’t given “any thought” to the separation policy. But the governor actually responded to a question about a Trump administration desire to deploy state National Guard units to the Mexican border. No such request had been made for the Illinois National Guard.
The ad also asserts Rauner profited from the firm Correct Care Solutions. The firm is being used to provide healthcare at some federal Department of Homeland Security migrant detention centers. Rauner previously was a partner in the equity investment firm GTCR and has said his current investments have been delegated to a power of attorney.
Rauner’s campaign referenced comments by his government spokeswoman Patty Schuh, who said the firm still owns the investment in Correct Care Solutions but it has not shown any profits or losses from it yet.
Rauner left GTCR in 2012, his campaign said, and the equity firm didn’t invest in Correct Care Solutions until 2014.
Rauner campaign spokesman Alex Browning said the Pritzker ad “intentionally misrepresents the facts” in order to “weave a false and deceitful narrative. The Pritzker campaign should immediately take down this dishonest and shameful ad.”
State Journal-Register:
The governor’s campaign notes correctly that when Rauner said he hadn’t given any thought to an issue, it was when he was asked if the state would send Illinois National Guard troops to the border – and there had been no such request from the federal government. He said at that same appearance that the policy of separating children from parents is “bad policy” and “heartbreaking,” and “not the moral thing to do.”
“We need to secure our borders and stop illegal immigration, but separating families is not the answer. I’m strongly against that and I’ve made my views clear to (the) federal government,” Rauner said at that appearance.
Politico:
Billionaire J.B. Pritzker, who also knows his way around an investment portfolio, is taking the bluntest approach possible.
His campaign team poured gas on the fire with an ad that took liberties with some of the facts of our story. Rauner’s camp says the ad is wrong about three points:
1. The ad says Rauner is an owner of CCS. He’s not. But the company does sit in the GTCR fund’s portfolio, for which Rauner is an investor and disclosed earnings.
2. The ad claims CCS is helping “keep children separated from their parents.” It’s not. The company provides health-care services at the detention facilities.
3. The ad quotes Rauner out of context, says communications chief Will Allison. When Rauner said “I’m not giving that any thought whatsoever,” he’s referring to whether he’ll send National Guard troops down to the border — not to separate families, Allison said.
Actually, Rauner has called for an end to dividing families, saying, “It’s wrong. It’s heartbreaking. It’s not the moral thing to do.”
Capitol Fax:
Pritzker campaign doubles down on false claim
CBS Chicago:
Fact is, the ad is highly misleading at best.
“The company is in the business of health care. They are not in the business of separating families. So this commercial is untrue on so many levels,” said Illinois Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti.
The company is called Correct Care Solutions. It’s at least partially-owned by Rauner’s former private equity firm GTCR. And it does provide medical care to detainees. [Emphasis in original.]
Except its headline, “Illinois governor profits off ICE detention center contracts,” hasn’t been changed for some odd reason.
- Colin O'Scopy - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:24 am:
It begs the question: why is Pritzker going to the dirt this early? Their polls must show something that spooked them into leveling dubious claims.
- Not Again - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:26 am:
Shame on Politico for being used as a patsy.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:30 am:
To clarify, the headline should read: “Illinois Governor hopes to profit off ICE detention center contracts.”
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:33 am:
47th, good one. That made me chuckle.
- SOIL M - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:35 am:
Rauners only path to victory is The Devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. Pritzker can not afford to let himself be viewed that way. All he has to do is stick to Rauner is a failure.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:37 am:
Where was all the in-depth outraged coverage of Rauner’s many lies and stretched stories in the first couple of years ( and since) of his governorship? I’m not condoning the Pritzker ad, and if you think this pressure will make Team Priztker backtrack and return to a higher ground, fine. But Rauner has many more times taken things out of context and used them for his own political gamesmanship.
- Anona - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:40 am:
Remember Rauner’s blatantly false ads about Ives? What goes around comes around.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:41 am:
I love when the Rauner camp sends out a press release of reporters quoting the Rauner campaign. It’s like an MC Escher painting of spin.
Go ahead and keep this story going, Rauner campaign. Talk about whether or not your guy profited off child prisons for as long as you want.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:43 am:
==Their polls must show something that spooked them into leveling dubious claims.==
I bet they showed that child prisons are wildly unpopular in Illinois and that highlighting Rauner’s connection to them would be effective.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:49 am:
These two clearly believe lies are not a liability unless it causes bad press - i.e. Caught. It’s not whether it’s a lie, it’s whether it works. Today, that’s the new normal
- Chris Widger - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:54 am:
==It’s not whether it’s a lie, it’s whether it works. Today, that’s the new normal==
The United States entered an illegal war after deliberately sinking the USS Maine and pretending Spain did it 120 years ago. The media killed Andrew Jackson’s wife by telling lies about her so they could get good stories almost 200 years. Our times are not interesting or different.
- Ga. Dawg - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:54 am:
Great, our choices for governor come down to who is the least dishonest?
- Colin O'Scopy - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:56 am:
=I bet they showed that child prisons are wildly unpopular in Illinois and that highlighting Rauner’s connection to them would be effective.=
That’s a fair point. But my counter to it is: if you’re leading in the polls, and can stick to the high road (by not manufacturing stories), why not do so? By doing otherwise, you look desperate, like you’ll say anything to get elected.
- Roman - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:57 am:
I’m growing weary of JB’s media shop.
The truth bending in the ICE ad really isn’t necessary…there’s enough to work with there without resorting to BS. This on the heals of their inability (so far) to weaponize Rauner’s trashing of Champaign-Urbana with an effective ad downstate.
C’mon, Team JB. Step it up.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:57 am:
Talented politicals with Rauner’s record and his failures would t need to make themselves look ridiculous like this.
It speaks directly to malpractice.
Plain and simple.
- People Over Parties - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:58 am:
Pritzker’s camp has previously accused Rauner of lying, correct?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:00 am:
–CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story said Gov. Bruce Rauner’s economic interest statement reported profits from Correct Care Solutions. The governor’s statement reported profits from GTCR Fund X, a private equity fund that has an ownership stake in Correct Care Solutions.–
Thanks for clearing that up.
To clarify, Rauner is an investor in Correct Care Solutions and he’s making money off those nasty hogs at the taxpayer trough.
Seriously, GTCR Fund X? Who came up with that name, Dr. Evil?
Google “correct care solutions wrongful deaths” to learn more about the business model that attracted GTCR and Rauner.
It appears to be similar to Rauner’s play in the private sector: take the taxpayer money and deliver as little as you can get away with to bump up your margins.
If you get heat in court for a body count, bust it out and walk away.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:04 am:
==But my counter to it is: if you’re leading in the polls, and can stick to the high road (by not manufacturing stories), why not do so?==
What’s manufactured? The dispute appears to be that Rauner is an “investor” not an “owner” and that he hasn’t “profited” from it merely because he hasn’t cashed out the stock yet. That’s a pretty slender reed to lean against.
Anyway, you always run like you’re five points down. Hell, it was only about 2 weeks ago everyone here was saying JB was trying to park the bus on his lead.
- SOIL M - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:04 am:
Going to try this again.
Rauners only path to victory is The (mean word that gets deleted) that you know is better than the (mean word that gets deleted) that you don’t know. Pritzker should avoid being seen that way and stick to Rauners failures.
- Anon - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:06 am:
So the Pritzker camp decides a hard hitting coordinated attack on Rauner is necessary in July? Fine. But the attack is not based on Rauner’s actual governance? Just hammer the point on Quincy.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:11 am:
==Just hammer the point on Quincy.==
Oh, like that’s not coming…
- Exclamation Point Deleted - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:14 am:
Rauner points out press outlet issues with J.B.’s ad. Pritzker’s folks come out in droves and get angry. Then the Pritzker camp demands that Rauner’s meeting with V.P. Pence gets put under the microscope.
Almost four more months of this…
- People Over Parties - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:19 am:
===What’s manufactured?===
Just the entire context of the situation.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:23 am:
===Just the entire context of the situation.===
Along with most of the outrage.
Rauner owns a fund that owns a company that works for ICE providing services to its detention centers. Those facts are not in dispute, nor are the manufactured.
This is a fair hit. If Rauner doesn’t like it, he should sell his interest now and donate the profits to charity. I’d suggest he donate to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
- Concerned Dem - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:24 am:
Seems like everyone (state media, with site excluded) is tripping over themselves to make sure any hit on Rauner has a master’s thesis level of evidence, while Rauner himself can say anything he pleases and at best gets a slap on wrist from the BGA that next to no one pays attention to. Take note Team JB, you don’t get the same latitiude, run a tighter ship.
- Chris Widger - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:26 am:
==This is a fair hit. If Rauner doesn’t like it, he should sell his interest now and donate the profits to charity.==
Would it be reasonable to attack someone who owns a 401K that has funds invested in gun manufacturers? After all, publicly traded gun companies are in most index funds.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:33 am:
==Along with most of the outrage.==
It always goes this way when a Dem dishes a little bit out.
==Take note Team JB, you don’t get the same latitiude==
Eh, betcha they do. That ad is going to be seen by far more people than the tut-tutting. And if Rauner wants to keep complaining about it, JB is happy to keep the conversation alive.
There is a double standard at play here, but the only way out is to break the trap.
- The Dude Abides - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:35 am:
We now have the press coming to the defense of Rauner defending him from a mostly false ad run by the Pritzger campaign. That’s fine but where was the press when Rauner ran a totally false ad claiming that Ives was an ally of Madigan?
It seems that Rauner has a lot of friends in the media. The media used to have a role in being a watchdog that would call out politicians for lies and contradictions. We don’t seem to have much of that any more.
- Silicon Prairie - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:37 am:
The debates should be fun to watch since they both disagree on almost everything
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:38 am:
–Seems like everyone (state media, with site excluded) is tripping over themselves to make sure any hit on Rauner has a master’s thesis level of evidence, while Rauner himself can say anything he pleases and at best gets a slap on wrist from the BGA that next to no one pays attention to.–
LOL, that’s about right.
Or maybe Rauner has had an epiphany and has now dedicated his life to the truth, in all things.
Let’s put it to the test: Next time he speaks, see if a whopper comes out of his gob.
- Deadbeat Conservative - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:38 am:
=Great, our choices for governor come down to who is the least dishonest?= That is your 2-party system loved by the media and mostt voters.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:42 am:
=Pritzker’s camp has previously accused Rauner of lying, correct?=
Nearly every thinking person that has listened to Rauner speak has made the same accusation including members of the GOP.
Aside from the “profiting” aspect of the ad/article pretty much everything else is true.
Rauner incessantly calls people corrupt that have never been convicted of anything much less accused. He lies 100% of the time and then gets huffy when someone puts a little stink on him? Please.
When Rauner stops lying, I will start to care about the exactitude of other peoples campaign ads.
- People Over Parties - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:42 am:
===This is a fair hit.===
Fair hits would actually be honest in their content, lol. The context is distorted, and their use of Rauner’s quote in particular is just ridiculous.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:50 am:
So, let me get this straight:
Pritzker and the Democrats this election cycle are busy trying to portray Rauner as being dishonest and a liar . . . by being dishonest and being liars themselves?
OK.
As my grandfather used to say, you can’t make sense out of nonsense.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:56 am:
When a major part of your campaign is that Rauner is a liar, you have to be extra careful with questionable claims.
Besides, Rauner has given Pritzker so many good targets. Why try the difficult shot?
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 10:56 am:
===The context is distorted===
Wait, first the context was manufactured, now it’s only distorted? Lol.
I don’t remember your outrage when Rauner was spending millions in ads claiming Jeanne Ives is Madigan’s favorite Republican. And I don’t agree that the context was distorted either, especially since the dispute is about the word “profits.” When you are arguing that level of semantics, you’ve told me the basic facts are true.
It’s a fair hit. And it’s about time Democrats started hitting back. If Rauner doesn’t want to defend the Trump administration, he should come out and disavow the President and sell any investment that seeks to benefit from Trump’s policies.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 11:00 am:
==Nearly every thinking person that has listened to Rauner speak has made the same accusation including members of the GOP.==
And yet, we’re supposed to take his word that he’s not seeing a profit on this contract…
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 11:12 am:
=The context is distorted, =
What a joke. They claimed he is profiting, he may or may not be since we have no actual evidence either way. Beyond that the info was accurate.
Tell me about Rauner’s grandparents from Sweden er….Wisconsin. The guy lies about literally everything.
Give it a rest. Rauner has never had the moral high ground.
- People Over Parties - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 11:23 am:
===Beyond that the info was accurate.===
Yeah, just that little smidget of information that forms the entire narrative of the ad, nbd!
===Give it a rest===
I didn’t say anything about a moral high ground, I just think Pritzker should do better than running dishonest ads.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 11:27 am:
–And yet, we’re supposed to take his word that he’s not seeing a profit on this contract…–
Be fair. Do you really think Rauner invested his money in the great humanitarians at Correct Care with the idea of making a profit?
I welcome any and all discussion, every day, all day, on Rauner’s thought processes on investing in Correct Care Solutions.
Do the google on these dementors, and then try to claim the high ground on explaining Rauner’s putting his money in them.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 11:37 am:
“Fair hits would actually be honest in their content, lol.”
Rauner lies about Pritzker being corrupt. Pritzker neither took any Blago offers nor was charged with anything. Rauner lies about lots of government/union people when he calls people “corrupt insiders.” When is Rauner going to issue apologies and retractions?
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 11:44 am:
47, sell his interest in what? Correct Care, no can do, as he isn’t the owner. Fund X? Possible, but difficult.
I agree with the rest of your post.
- Albany Park Patriot - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 12:15 pm:
Compare Rauner to other governors and he’s barely issued a peep. People are really trying to rehabilitate him. His investments mean nothing. His silence means nothing. His inaction means nothing. Because he mumbles a few meaningless words when it doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t let a high school kid get away with this stuff, but looks like the press wants to give him a pass, while kids still are separated from their parents.
- A Jack - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 12:55 pm:
Rauner can instruct his attorney to sell his shares of fund X any time if the fund is engaging in activity unbecoming of the Governor. And it’s just a power of attorney, so Rauner can rescind it if the attorney doesn’t follow Rauner’s instructions.
- SOIL M - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 1:03 pm:
Rainer has lied? Of course he has, all the way back to when he paid people to believe he was conservative or even a Republican. And he hasn’t stopped yet. But he is still the incumbent and to beat an incumbent you have to prove to voters that you will be better than that incumbent. Pritzker has to show that he will be better than what Rauner has been.
Saying well he did it too, or he started it, doesn’t matter. Show you are better or too many people will decide they might as well keep the failure they got.
- Anon0091 - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 1:04 pm:
“What’s manufactured? The dispute appears to be that Rauner is an “investor” not an “owner” and that he hasn’t “profited” from it merely because he hasn’t cashed out the stock yet. That’s a pretty slender reed to lean against.”
Absolutely right. And the fact that this investment is consistent with previous Rauner investments in nursing homes where you strip services and people died is a fair reflection on the Rauner ethos. Do what you can. When you can. To whom you can. And make as much as you can for yourself.
- A Jack - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 1:06 pm:
My question is this: How enforceable is the agreement to give the profits to charity if Rauner has already left the governorship? Is someone going to go to Italy 5-10 years from now and say hey you profited off Illinois state contracts, time to pay up. And if Rauner says no, what could even be done about it? Whether he takes his profit now or twenty years from now, profiting from state contracts is clearly unethical for a governor.
- Red Rider - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 1:16 pm:
The man behind the curtain I’m a member only when I want and that was my double on the back porch.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 1:24 pm:
Why lie?
It’s really not a gubernatorial prerequisite JB.
Bruce does it because he can’t tell us why he should be elected.
Why are you lying JB?
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 1:54 pm:
===Fund X? Possible, but difficult.===
Yes, Fund X. Personally, I would have preferred it if Rauner had completely disentangled himself financially from all of his GTCR investments and placed his remaining assets into a blind trust, as he misled people into believing that was his plan.
Since he chose not to do that, this is fair game, regardless of whether he’s realized a profit or only expects to at some point in the future (at which point we’ll simply have to trust him that he will donate any profit to his own charity).
- lost in the weeds - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 2:49 pm:
Pritzer running an ad like this is a lie that keeps the issue in the media achieving a desired result but maybe not for Pritzer. The orange blimp, over seeing detention of immigrant babies, spews lies that result in the media talking about lying- therefore making the blimps case that everyone lies. Note the administration provided three original responses for the detention policy-1) democrats need to change the law, 2)the administration is following god 3) the administration is not doing what they are accused of. A couple days later the orange blimp issues another executive order changing the policy. Additional lying about the immigration policy just further fuels that usurpation of the media because the orange blimp followers do not think the media tells the truth. Lying about someone profiting off this policy just adds to the cacophony of confusion about this issue and may cause some of the orange blimps base to vote for Rauner. It is also bad for the country.
- Leatherneck - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 3:12 pm:
- lost in the weeds - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 2:49 pm:
[…] Lying about someone profiting off this policy just adds to the cacophony of confusion about this issue and may cause some of the orange blimps base to vote for Rauner. It is also bad for the country.
————
Or it could make some of the “orange blimps base” vote for McCann or Jackson (unless he’s in an orange jumpsuit on Election Day) instead.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 3:23 pm:
=Yeah, just that little smidget of information that forms the entire narrative of the ad, nbd!=
In your mind maybe. That was a byproduct of his investment or, at least, that is what he wants it to be.
The real story is that Rauner has another investment in something that is bad for people. Seems to be a pattern.
- Etown - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 4:29 pm:
Folks in JB campaign been playing with truth since primary but
When you have $ to do what you want they figure nobody will
Notice. This Democrat didnt vote for JB in primary since he is simply
Democrats Rauner but sure making me think to not place a vote for him in Fall as well
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 5:01 pm:
==The real story is that Rauner has another investment in something that is bad for people.==
Yeah, if he’s not making money off of it it’s actually worse. Then he’s just giving money to this horrid little project.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 13, 18 @ 9:53 am:
–Pritzker and the Democrats this election cycle are busy trying to portray Rauner as being dishonest and a liar . . –
Are they? I thought it was Ives and Cardinal Cupich.
Really though, the message “Rauner is a liar” sells itself, because… he lies all the time.
Louis, any time you or your grandpa want to make the case that Rauner isn’t a chronic liar, step up.
Seriously, dude, have some pride. The check’s in the mail, regardless.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 13, 18 @ 10:01 am:
===As my grandfather used to say…===
Was he also a Swedish immigrant too… or…