Rauner skirts Trump questions in Peoria
Thursday, Jul 26, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Rauner’s Peoria event this afternoon was billed as “No additional media availability.” But the governor apparently agreed to take some on-topic questions. After a couple minutes of those, a reporter asked about the man who must not be named…
Reporter 1: So, why are you here today and not in Granite City?
Rauner aide: We’re just keeping it on-topic…
Rauner: Well, I’m here because this is a very significant piece of legislation that passed at the end of the General Assembly. And this was scheduled long time ago. Uh, and today, [laughs] my day is very full. I was in Chicago and Itasca and Rockford, and I’m heading back to Springfield tonight.
Reporter 2: You didn’t think it was important to support the president in Granite City today at all?
Rauner: Well, what’s important is that we support economic growth for the entire state of Illinois. And that’s what this legislation does. We need to bring down tax burden in our communities and grow more jobs and that’s what we’re here to do right now.
Rauner aide: Alright, thank you everybody!
The legislation is here.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 4:53 pm:
Too bad Trump didn’t have to debate Rauner. He would have demolished such a canned politician.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 4:56 pm:
Too little, too late, BTIA(TM).
The Chicago stations are already running the Rauner duck-and-dash footage.
The visuals are too hilarious to pass up. Somebody should have told you that visuals rule on the TV box.
I’m sure stations around the state will pick them up.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 4:57 pm:
===You didn’t think it was important to support the president in Granite City today at all?===
Support who now?
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 4:57 pm:
At least the governor didn’t sprint away this time.
- Real - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 4:58 pm:
Rauner would be red and sweat faced in a debate with Trump. Rauner wouldn’t even show up to debate though.
- Wensicia - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 5:02 pm:
Rauner fawns over Pence, praising the Trump administration, yet runs away from an appearance (and reporter questions) with the president. JB is already all over this on the news. You can’t have it both ways; do you support Trump or not?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 5:10 pm:
Who is a snowflake?
- Lawman - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 5:20 pm:
And there is the Rauner telling laugh before saying “my day is very full”.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 5:22 pm:
Been out of pocket.
Did Trump mention Rauner?
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 5:25 pm:
HB, nope per the Trib.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 5:25 pm:
Once the Trump date for Granite City was nailed down, why didn’t Rauner just find a reason to be out of state?
Visit family. Long summer weekend. Super-secret economic development mission. All “pre-planned,” of course.
How hard would that be? Rauner has no problem with lying. He lied all day about why he wasn’t in Granite City, anyway.
It would be mentioned that he wasn’t around for Trump, of course. But no visuals, and story over.
Instead, there’s the daylong spectacle of Rauner running around the state like a giant chicken with his head chopped off, flopping around frantically everywhere but where Trump was.
Who’s running the BTIA(TM) show these days? The Marx Brothers?
- Pundent - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 5:57 pm:
Pretty remarkable that a republican governor has to go out of his way to avoid being seen in his home state with a republican president. And nobody, republican or democrat, is buying his excuses.
- Yiddishcowboy - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 6:01 pm:
Don’t any of Rauner’s aides read this blog? One would think they would and promptly proceed to tell him enough already with the laughs before or during responding to a question. Sheesh. I wanna play poker with him.
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 6:09 pm:
@YiddishCowboy
You think someone would have told him 3 years ago.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 6:23 pm:
- Don’t any of Rauner’s aides read this blog? -
They’re too busy scouring LinkedIn for high paying jobs that don’t require a skill set other than puckering up and planting.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 7:24 pm:
Looks like Rauner escaped the shoutout and the nickname.
- Huh? - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 7:29 pm:
“Looks like Rauner escaped the shoutout and the nickname.”
Nuts.
- Bobby T - Thursday, Jul 26, 18 @ 9:01 pm:
—
Who’s running the BTIA(TM) show these days? The Marx Brothers?
—
Well, it’s not funny.
So it’s not Groucho. Or Harpo. Or Chico. Or Gummo. Or Zeppo.
So … no.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 5:04 am:
The Marx brother that never became famous. Inepto.
- Rabid - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 7:34 am:
Actions speak, you turned your back on your party, Koch endorsements don’t come
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Jul 27, 18 @ 9:10 am:
–You didn’t think it was important to support the president in Granite City today at all?–
Support? That’s a question? Trump has plenty of “support” from adoring masses and his own ego. Besides, everybody has to make time to wash their vests once in a while.