40 Comments - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:24 am: Governor Rauner always wanted to be like Scott Walker so this must be especially gratifying for him. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:27 am: The difference between Baker and Rauner can be seen in their ads. Baker has a strong ad with lots of people in it, touting bipartisanship and success. Rauner is by himself in a room, basically conceding no accomplishments (we did good stuff and stopped bad stuff). - Retired Educator - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:34 am: When you are down 20 points with less then a month to go “You have a problem” When you can’t tout a list of accomplishments, to help the numbers “You are toast” Game over - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:39 am: “When you are down 20 points” A new Reuters/Ipsos poll of likely voters has Pritzker up 20. http://crystalball.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/new-polls-rauner-in-big-trouble-in-illinois-mccaskill-hawley-locked-in-tied-missouri-senate-race/ - A Jack - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:40 am: Other Governors have rotated through their bottom two, but Rauner has been consistently in the bottom three for several of their polls. He hasn’t been able to break out of the bottom three and there is no reason to expect a second term to be any different. - DarkHorse - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:40 am: Will Rauner get a smaller percentage of the vote than other statewide GOP candidates? Harold almost certainly does better than Bruce. Maybe even Helland and Senger do better. Kirk got just under 40% of the vote, Trump around 37%. My money is on Bruce at 35%. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:43 am: Rauner is unlikable, with few accomplishments, who comes off angry and “fighting” and few, it seems, approve of his record as he runs away from it too. I go back to “Brewskis With Bruce” The premise is Bruce will have a beer, talk, be relatable, likable, be someone you know has empathy, and you can disagree with him, but you know his heart is in the right place. K? Got it? They did ONE “Brewskis With Bruce” Maybe 62% is too low. They couldn’t phony a likable Bruce. Even Diana Rauner turned out to be an utter phony who can’t vouch for Bruce either… and in 5 years… no friend, no cohort, business partner… no one thanking Bruce for creating their job… no social service thanking Bruce for being their patron… … no doting Grampa Bruce… no college buddies speaking of their admiration… Why should I be surprised at 62%? The brand of Bruce and Diana Rauner is a brand of negativity, hurting people for agenda… manipulating… and phoniness to mock those they feel they (Bruce and Diana) are better than in life. Why should I be surprised at 62%? Costumes, verbiage, props and staging… … What is actually… real…. about Bruce and Diana Rauner… other than Raunerism? Bruce and Diana Rauner may lose this election, but what about their reputations, and these four years of pain they caused on Illinois? Why should I be surprised about 62%? I’m not. - thoughts matter - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:44 am: I’d like to think this was an accurate perception of what will happen next month. But I have a fear that it is not. My Facebook feed shows posts/memes from people who seriously believe Illinois should have a tax reduction yet somehow not reduce services, posts/memes showing they’ve bought what Rauner is selling. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:44 am: Rauner’s certainly earned it. He still has some of the people you can fool all of the time. Saw that Rauner is holding steady at 30% in a new Reuters poll. Given his Trumpian Mexican bashing yesterday, it appears Rauner’s new strategy is to run the ball into his own end zone, a la Jim Marshall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1UZy7SSdDI - Ole' Nelson - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:45 am: “In any event, Pritzker would probably be favored over Rauner even in a two-way race, but McCann’s presence makes the incumbent’s path more difficult.” Just one small example of how Bruce’s arrogance and need for total domination has come back to bite him. He would not have McCann as an opponent if it weren’t for his serious personality issues. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:46 am: Interesting disconnect between Massachusetts state fiscal health ranking of 46 and Charlie Baker’s ranking as the most popular Governor in the nation. “Baker has crafted a likable media persona; he’s presented himself as a fiscal check on the Democratic Legislature; and there’s been an apparent dearth of crises in state government.” https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/09/27/why-charlie-baker-popular/0DjpSUgTJPbQZWZ80qdOPL/story.html Anybody believe JB will be a fiscal check on a Democratic legislature? No surprise Illinois is ranked 50th in fiscal health followed by graduated income tax states Connecticut and New Jersey that have also have high liabilities for pensions and are hostile to business. https://www.mercatus.org/statefiscalrankings It would be nice if JB would admit that a graduated income tax is not a panacea and that Illinois will have to do a lot more than just raise taxes to restore confidence in Illinois. - Dome Gnome - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:47 am: “Broken.” “Illinois is broken.” “Our system is broken.” ~Governor Bruce “Bash-and-Burn” Rauner - Roman - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:52 am: Would like to see one more independent poll to see for certain that the Cook County IG report has had no effect…but this thing looks like it’s over. JB should take a four week vacation. Why risk screwing things up? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:52 am: Oh “Lucky Pierre” All those words… and yet… we go back to Bret Baier… “What would be different in a second term” 62% disapprove of Rauner and his first term. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:54 am: –…Adding… Note the timing of the big slide…– So happy Rauner canned the Superstars and brought in the IPI types. What an unforced error. In just a few short months, the new BTIA(TM) did far more damage to the Rauner brand than the Madigan crew could manage in 2.5 years. And they weren’t even trying. Just came naturally. - Ole' Nelson - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:54 am: Lucky, The only thing that excites me about JB is that if he is in the governor’s office then Bruce is not. Could Rauner have brought some fiscal responsibility to Illinois? I think he could have. Unfortunately his Supernova-sized ego and need to have it all along with his pure hatred for unions prevented that from happening. You continue to surprise me with your loyalty and enthusiasm for Bruce. Even my most die-hard Republican friends have absolutely no use for him at this point. The only thing I can figure is that you are being paid to be his cheerleader. There do not seem to be many who are vouching for our current governor out of genuine enthusiasm for what he has accomplished. - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:57 am: It’s like a Twilight Zone thing, where Rauner hates Madigan so much that he becomes Madigan, popularity-wise. Look in the mirror and who do you start seein’? “No surprise Illinois is ranked 50th in fiscal health followed by graduated income tax states Connecticut and New Jersey that have also have high liabilities for pensions and are hostile to business.” Let’s not conveniently forget the progressive income tax states that surround us, or California and Minnesota, who have strong economies and budget surpluses. Bruce Rauner has been a catastrophic failure, someone who very clearly does not belong in the governor’s chair. Many wanted a businessperson who works with different people for the good of the state. Rauner waged a war against Madigan during one of our most critical times, last year’s budget negotiations. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:58 am: Why will voters approve of a new Governor who is not a fiscal check on a legislature that is more unpopular than the current Governor? What will be different in Mike Madigan’s 24th term? More continued “cooperation and professionalism” on the budget making process? - Thomas Paine - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:08 am: === “Illinois will have to do a lot more than just raise taxes to restore confidence in Illinois” === You mean like pass budgets and pay its bills on time? How about reduce the number of “superstars” making $250K a year in the Governor’s office? Maybe stop renting buildings for five times what it would cost to buy them? Oh, I know: we could stop killing veterans and then lying about it! Just spitballing here Lucky, what suggestions do you have for restoring public confidence? #RaunerFailed - We'll See - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:11 am: Just imagine his #s if he didn’t have the Best Team in America. - ZC - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:11 am: My rule of thumb is IL is about 5% more Democratic than Wisconsin, so if Rauner’s approximately 12% less popular than Walker, that’s at least 7 solid percentage points you can chalk up to Rauner’s incompetence and not just the general tilt of the state / national climate. - Juice - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:12 am: Lucky, just last week Bruce Rauner was holding up New Jersey as a state with a much better fiscal situation than we have. Wasn’t entirely sure what he was talking about, but he said it. So you may want to check in to get up to date talking points from the mothership. How has Rauner been a fiscal check on the Democratic legislature? They weren’t able to enact appropriations for two years with his veto and he still managed to rack up $16 billion in unpaid bills. - Soccermom - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:14 am: Hey, A Jack — Other Governors have rotated through their bottom two, but Rauner has been consistently in the bottom three for several of their polls. He hasn’t been able to break out of the bottom three and there is no reason to expect a second term– PERIOD. - Elliott Ness - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:16 am: Guess he will have to reconsider his phrase, “ I have never failed at anything..”. Yes you have Bruce, indeed you have failed mightily. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:20 am: ===What will be different in Mike Madigan’s 24th term?=== Madigan is running unopposed. Rauner is down 16-22% to Pritzker. ===More continued “cooperation and professionalism” on the budget making process?=== 152-20 in the last budget Rauner was forced to sign, as both chambers, in a bipartisan way, aced out Rauner, securing a budget, despite Rauner. Rauner is unlikable. Rauner and “Lucky Pierre” think Madigan is the path to defeat Pritzker… as Rauner still trails by 16-22 points… after months of… “Because Madigan” It. Ain’t. Workin’. - Generic Drone - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:22 am: LP==why will voters approve a new Governor== Because the one you support cost taxpayers even more money than any other governor in Illinois history in his 1st term. - Langhorne - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:27 am: Wow. From -7, to -34, in one year. Continuing to drift to -37. Because…madigan. It’ll be great watching the body language of these guys during the inauguration. - Pundent - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:28 am: =Anybody believe JB will be a fiscal check on a Democratic legislature?= The litmus test is whether or not voters believe that JB will be an improvement over Rauner. The polls seem to suggest that they do. What you have failed to realize over these past few years is that Rauner needs to create a reason to justify a second term. He’s never done so. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:31 am: ===July of 2017 is when he vetoed the tax hike and brought in the Best Team In America™.=== Diana Rauner wanted better messaging. Voters got the message. Bruce is a failure. I guess Diana Rauner branded Bruce a failure. As a white male, Bruce is probably wondering how things coulda been different… without HB40, “Sanctuary State” legislation… maybe more than one signed budget. - Anon316 - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:39 am: The biggest drop was between July and October, 2017, and I believe he signed HB40 in September, 2017. I would say that led to the slide downward. Without that, there would be people like me who didn’t love everything he was doing but found him better than the alternatives. In signing that, he alienated a lot of people who just won’t come back. I am afaid for the future of the state under a tax and spend Pritzker, but maybe it’ll result in the rebuilding of the Republican party under a real Republican. - Nacho - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:40 am: ==I’d like to think this was an accurate perception of what will happen next month. But I have a fear that it is not. My Facebook feed shows posts/memes from people who seriously believe Illinois should have a tax reduction yet somehow not reduce services, posts/memes showing they’ve bought what Rauner is selling.== Your Facebook feed is not a random sample, nor is it a particularly large one I assume. We now have two recent polls showing Pritzker up 20 or more. I’d trust that a lot more, especially since Rauner is flailing about trying to reinvent himself every week (and his latest iteration appears to be imitating Trump in a state Trump lost by 17). - Whatever - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:50 am: ==Why will voters approve of a new Governor who is not a fiscal check on a legislature that is more unpopular than the current Governor? What will be different in Mike Madigan’s 24th term?== Historically, Madigan has been a fiscal check on the legislature. Biggest single example: Blago’s gross receipts tax, which had huge support in the Senate thanks to Emil Jones. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 10:51 am: I don’t know what’s sadder: Rauner’s lame reason to reelect him, or Lucky Pierre’s lame reasons to reelect Rauner. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 11:15 am: ==Anybody believe JB will be a fiscal check on a Democratic legislature?== Regardless of what voters might believe another politician will do, the fact is that Rauner was not a fiscal check. The unpaid bills balcklog ballooned to $16 billion before the GA overrode his veto. He wasted a billion dollars on interest payments. And, when Republicans joined the majority in the General Assembly to override Rauner’s veto and raise taxes, Rauner went to spend *every penny* of the tax hike. Rauner has utterly failed to get our fiscal house in order. - JS Mill - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 12:25 pm: =hostile to business.= You set a very high bar for this, but that has to be in the top (bottom?) three of your (banned word) comments of all time. My family has owned a business in Illinois since the late 50’s. My dad, who runs the business, is just to the right of Regan as a conservative and even he has never said the environment for business is “hostile”. No state thug crews going around and roughing up potential businesses etc. It might be over regulated, and slow to move at times (not any better in the last four years by the way) but it isn’t hostile. The closest Illinois came to being hostile was when your favorite failure of a governor refused to pay its’ bills to the tune of $16 billion. - @misterjayem - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 1:43 pm: Did someone accidentally put the post-election script in the bot? He seems curiously resigned to the fact that his candidate is history. – MrJM - Earnest - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 1:48 pm: >Anybody believe JB will be a fiscal check on a Democratic legislature? I believe JB won’t run up the unpaid bills with deficit spending, won’t spend unallocated money and will be a far more responsible fiscal steward than Rauner. I also believe he won’t find a way to fund the programs he says he will and will instead have to make unpleasant budget choices in order to be more fiscally responsible, should he win. - Da Big Bad Wolf - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 3:18 pm: ==It’s like a Twilight Zone thing, where Rauner hates Madigan so much that he becomes Madigan, popularity-wise. Look in the mirror and who do you start seein’?== This might make a great Halloween episode for “Dad’s Home State”. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 4:33 pm: ===This might make a great Halloween episode for “Dad’s Home State”.=== I can’t get you a “writing” credit, but how about a “story by” credit? HBO is tough that way… - Rabid - Wednesday, Oct 10, 18 @ 9:58 pm: Govenor it’s not you, this is a referendum on the Koch superstars turnaround agenda you fell for Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.