42 Comments - TominChicago - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:21 am: He’s going full on Trump. - SWIL Voter - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:23 am: The “War on Coal” is being waged by robots and their owners against a bunch of poor workers with black lung. Obama had little to do with the decline of coal and Hillary even less. She wanted to spend tens of billions of dollars in coal country to retrain and provide assistance to coal workers - Colin O'Scopy - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:23 am: This is Rauner’s strategy? Pander to the 10,000 votes from “coal country”? Ruh-row. - saynomore - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:27 am: He’s anti-coal AND anti-rotary dial! - Grandson of Man - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:27 am: Rauner’s tryin’ to get in with the Trump voters, who did poorly against Clinton in this state. Pritzker should turn this around and say Rauner’s a polluter, and tie him to Trump’s EPA and policies. “He’s funded them.” Great to know and make public, for Clinton and Obama supporters. Most of these are likely Pritzker voters. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:27 am: ===I’m being challenged by this guy Pritzker. He is a corrupt insider, loyal to Madigan, works for the Chicago machine.”=== Hmm Diana Rauner, President, Ounce of Prevention… https://prn.to/2FsbyWU ===”More than three decades of experience have led us to identify some big bets that have the potential to transform early learning. We are so grateful to the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation for sharing our belief in these innovations,” said Diana Rauner, president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund. “By developing strong leaders and programs, empowering parents and strengthening early learning systems, together we can change lives for children and families.”=== Maybe Bruce should tell Diana and The Ounce they are aligned with … “…a corrupt insider, loyal to Madigan, works for the Chicago machine.” Hmm. - @misterjayem - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:28 am: “He supported Obama and Clinton” As did more than 55% of Illinois voters. – MrJM - Nacho - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:29 am: Time to remind Bruce to stick to “But Madigan, But Taxes, But Toilets.” - 47th Ward - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:29 am: Must have the same polling data that Avery Bourne has. I’m sure this pro-coal stuff works too, and that’s the sad part of this. Rauner is smart enough to know that coal jobs aren’t coming back, that there are many factors involved, and that those depending on coal for their livelihood might be better served with access to education and job training for a new career. But there are a lot of older, reliable voters who are nostalgic for the glory days of mine work and the good life they believe they once had that could return. Nobody wants to spoil their dream and tell them the truth. So we get pandering instead. The opposite of leadership. Rauner knows too. He knows coal is never coming back in Illinois. Rather than help develop some alternative industries and jobs, he lies instead and tells these older, rural voters what they want to hear rather than what they deserve to hear: the bitter truth. Epic failure as a Governor and as a leader. - slow down - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:29 am: I would think that Pritzker is delighted to hear Rauner attack him by saying Pritzker “supported Obama and Clinton.” The Governor who claims he’s “not in charge” is starting to approach Mark Kirk levels of gift giving to his opponent. - wordslinger - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:39 am: –This is Rauner’s strategy? Pander to the 10,000 votes from “coal country”?– BTIA(TM) gets paid good money to feed Rauner shallow talking points based on outdated stereotypes. The sad truth is, what choice does Rauner have? The guy has proven to be hopeless trying to think on his feet and talk off-script — a mumblin’-stumblin’-bumblin’ buffoonerama. Up next: “Chicago…Al Capone…bang-bang….” - wordslinger - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:39 am: –This is Rauner’s strategy? Pander to the 10,000 votes from “coal country”?– BTIA(TM) gets paid good money to feed Rauner shallow talking points based on outdated stereotypes. The sad truth is, what choice does Rauner have? The guy has proven to be hopeless trying to think on his feet and talk off-script — a mumblin’-stumblin’-bumblin’ buffoonerama. Up next: “Chicago…Al Capone…bang-bang….” - Lawman - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:42 am: I am so tired of Rauner saying that everyone is “corrupt”. If that is the case, should he not have gone to the US Attorney or a state’s attorney with the evidence of this “corruption”? Too bad the rules for libel are so tough that they let politicians babble this nonsense of “corruption” with no facts to back it up. - Amalia - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:44 am: are you trying to lose Bruce? - I don't have a job - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 10:53 am: It’s so funny to read the comments and the content on here sometimes. You people are the ones that are wrong about coal. It is a tragedy what has happened to Southern Illinois over the years because of liberal policies. We are the Saudi Arabia of coal and we can’t get it out of the ground because a bunch of mamby pamby environmentalists from Chicago won’t let us. Obama was one of the worst presidents for southern Illinois in history. - A Jack - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:02 am: How many UMW votes does he think he can get after Janus? - OneMan - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:03 am: Yeah, that’s the ticket. - Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:04 am: Next he will tell Amish voters there is a war on buggy whips. - TKMH - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:12 am: Nothing electrifies the suburban moderates that Rauner needs in Highland Park and Northbrook like bemoaning the end of coal. /s Btw, Bruce can thank natural gas and renewables for winning the War on Coal, not Obama or Hillary. I thought he was pro-innovation and free enterprise? Also, what’s with calling JB “this guy”?! There’s video of them sitting side-by-side for an interview back in 2009. It’s not exactly like JB is the new, unknown guy on the block… - Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:13 am: Coal is declining steadily and it isn’t coming back. Coal producing areas of this state need a lot of help, as good paying jobs are going away. Demagoguery isn’t helping. Only training and helping people to get good jobs in other fields where they live is what’s important. Parts of Southern Illinois are in a world of trouble, and telling people to move or just do something else is no solution. - Give Me A Break - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:14 am: Sad part is, I was around the Girard/Virdin area a couple weeks back, there really are groups of people who are clinging to the coal will come back narrative. For the most part they are HS graduates who think they would be making $65,000 a year with benefits if not for the liberal Dems who destroyed their great way of life. And by the way, the ones I spoke have zero interest in getting further formal education and insist the modern world conform to their job skills. - Steve Rogers - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:23 am: BVR: “you know what else this guy Pritzker is against? Canals? He sure hates canals. We need to be bringin back canals to Illinois. Canals are awesome! Remember in the 1840s when we had thousands of people in Illinois buildin canals?” Just think how many jobs we can create if we bring back Canals to Illinois. Canals people, canals.” - TKMH - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:26 am: Nothing electrifies the suburban moderates Rauner needs to win over in Highland Park and Northbrook like bemoaning the end of coal. /s - ZC - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:32 am: How times change. Twenty years ago it was the Republican candidate George Ryan attacking the Democrat Glenn Poshard for being TOO pro-coal. - Henry Francis - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:36 am: He is absolutely right about coal. That’s why coal has been such a priority for the Guv’s Intersect Illinois during its existence. Why just check out Intersect’s Web page and it’s nothing but coal, coal, coal. I kid, there is no mention of coal anywhere on the webpage, or in any of its announcements or literature. Maybe it’s time for the Guv to expand the costume wardrobe and don a miner’s hard hat and pretend to shovel some coal. - Arsenal - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:40 am: ==We are the Saudi Arabia of coal and we can’t get it out of the ground because a bunch of mamby pamby environmentalists from Chicago won’t let us.== Didn’t some coal guy quoted on here the other day say we’re producing the same amount of coal as before, it’s just a much more automated process now? - Arsenal - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:40 am: We’re - Arsenal - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:44 am: Oops, let’s try again- We’re - Arsenal - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:44 am: **gives up** - Moe Berg - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:54 am: Bloomberg: U.S. coal exports jumped by 61 percent in 2017 as shipments to Asia more than doubled. Exports to China totaled 3.2 million tons alone — more than triple the amount it imported a year earlier, U.S. government data show. On August 23, Chinese tariffs of 25% go into effect on American coal. President Hillary Clinton’s war on coal must stop. Thankfully, Gov. Rauner is on the case. - Amalia - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:55 am: hey Arsenal, it’s transfer deadline day. you have more important matters for your attention. - 47th Ward - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 11:56 am: ===Obama was one of the worst presidents for southern Illinois in history=== You spelled Reagan wrong. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/07/us/reagan-in-switch-agrees-to-a-plan-on-acid-rain.html - JS Mill - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 12:16 pm: The GOP is fighting an awful lot of “wars”. Coal, Christmas, religion just to name a few. - don the legend - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 12:35 pm: ===You people are the ones that are wrong about coal. === then: === And by the way, the ones I spoke have zero interest in getting further formal education and insist the modern world conform to their job skills. These two opposing points sum up why the Trumpster and Governor Coal Miner love to pander. - Arsenal - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 1:03 pm: 90 days out and Rauner is still awkwardly trying to glue his base back together. - Arsenal - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 1:03 pm: Hey, it finally worked! - dr. reason a. goodwin - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 1:44 pm: There are plenty of folks here in Southern Illinois who are not taken in by this pandering. - DuPage - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 3:28 pm: I read China is arranging to permanently replace imports of American coal with imports of coal from Australia. The US coal miners can thank Trump’s trade war for this. - BlueDogDem - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 3:36 pm: Give me a break@11:14. It is folks of your ilk who led to the Trump victory. - TKMH - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 4:00 pm: ==It is folks of your ilk who led to the Trump victory.== I’d like to think that the only folks who led to Trump’s victory were those that affirmatively voted for him, not those to aptly observed something about his base of support. - TKMH - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 4:00 pm: Those who* (sp) - Senator Clay Davis - Thursday, Aug 9, 18 @ 4:51 pm: Illinois produces about 90% of the coal it did before the Clean Air Act revisions in 1990, but uses about 25% of the workers due to automation. If there’s a war on coal, it’s a war against the machines. And while most of Illinois’ coal goes to other states, some gets exported to China. Trump’s tariffs will reduce those exports and make things WORSE for Illinois coal mines. Of course, you won’t hear that narrative in the right wing anti-fact bubble, so conservatives will continue to blame the War on Christmas or Benghazi or Pizzagate or whatever. 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