Gearing up for Quincy debate
Thursday, Oct 11, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bill Cameron at WLS-AM…
In the race for governor, opponents are ganging up on Bruce Rauner today.
No less than three press events dumped on Rauner.
One about his handling of the deadly Legionaries disease at the Quincy Veterans Home, another about him equating the undocumented with crime and a third claiming he’s breaking the law by not paying state workers their step increases, which the governor’s office denies.
State Comptroller Susana Mendoza was at that last one saying that the state will have pay 7% late payment interest on those step increases, and she added this about Rauner, “This is just his personal grievance with state employees. It’s his obsession with right-to-work, and ya know, I think the governor has a right to work, just someplace else!”
* Everybody is doing their best to get the other side off their game. The governor is holding a 3 o’clock press conference in Quincy (I’ll update with whatever I get), and his campaign just sent this out to his supporters to urge them to watch the debate…
You can expect Governor Rauner to hold JB Pritzker accountable for his “scheme to defraud” taxpayers out of $330,000. Pritzker wants to raise taxes on every single Illinoisan, but he won’t even pay his own taxes. That means hardworking Illinois families just like yours have to pick up the tab.
Governor Rauner is going to speak the truth tonight. He’s standing up for taxpayers and fighting corruption in state government. This is the most important election of our lifetime. Be sure to tune in to see Bruce fight for our state’s future!
Click here to watch the debate, which begins at 7 pm. We’ll have a live coverage post.
* Pritzker campaign…
As the son and grandson of Veterans, I have so much respect for the sacrifices brave men and women make for our country. So I was especially moved when I heard the story of Illinoisan Eugene Miller, who, when he turned 17, went to serve in the United States Army in Germany. Eugene was proud of his military career. That’s why, when he started to get older, the choice to move into the Quincy Veterans’ Home, surrounded by his fellow service members, was clear. But one day, Eugene’s family got a call saying he had fallen ill. In the next few days he continued to get sicker and within a week he had died.
His son Tim found out later that the state knew that there was a Legionnaires’ outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home and had chosen to keep that information concealed from the public and even from family members. “At that moment my dad needed for the state to honor him and serve him the way that he served his country.” Instead, Bruce Rauner let down Eugene and 13 other Veterans and their spouses, who died after getting sick with Legionnaires’ at the Quincy Veterans Home.
Rauner has failed Illinoisans in many ways. But his handling of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home is one of the most egregious things he’s done while in office.
* The campaign also released some raw footage of Tim Miller talking about his dad. As we’ve already discussed, Miller appears in Pritzker’s new TV ad…
Heroes
As the son and grandson of Veterans, I’ve seen the sacrifice brave men and women make for our country. That’s one reason why it was so heartbreaking to hear the story of Eugene Miller, a Veteran who tragically died at the Quincy Veterans’ Home during the Legionnaires’ outbreak. Eugene, his family, and Veterans across Illinois deserve better than Bruce Rauner. We need a governor that will honor Veterans and work to provide them with vital resources, not one that will turn their back on the needs of our nation’s heroes.
Posted by JB Pritzker on Thursday, October 11, 2018
- Anon0091 - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:04 pm:
Rauner agreeing to a Quincy debate is the greatest single act of political malpractice I’ve ever seen.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:04 pm:
When’s Rauner going to release his spot with Quincy family members praising what a swell job he did addressing the outbreak.
I wouldn’t hold onto that much longer.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:08 pm:
(Sigh)
No.
When you are down 16-22 points, you debate anywhere, anytime, to try to get something in that hour to use to get out of the hole.
Malpractice, in this instance, would be an incumbent candidate who is down 16-22 points… and never debating at all.
- Huh? - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:11 pm:
“Governor Rauner is going to speak the truth…”
Why start now?
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:12 pm:
Rauner is ripping off the newest and lowest paid state workers to the tune of millions of dollars and dumping debt with interest on taxpayers. Who told him to walk away from contract negotiations? Who told him to not negotiate budgets for three years?l
Since the state has been far worse under Rauner, what is there to support with this guy? Maybe it’s inflicting pain on others that appeals to his supporters.
- Ole' Nelson - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:12 pm:
That ad is powerful. It brings out strong emotions. I am first very sad and then angry when I watch it. Sad because of the death, and then angry because our Governor gives lip service about how he likes to ride his motorcycle with veterans in order to further his political career, but in actuality would rather protect his image than save veterans in his care.
- JoanP - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:16 pm:
“I think the governor has a right to work, just someplace else”
Love that [exclamation mark]
- Anon0091 - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:18 pm:
With respect Willy, they screwed this up and agreed to this debate long before they were down 16-22. Recall that the Pritzker team put out this schedule in the Spring and rather than push back with a Carbondale or Springfield or anywhere else option, they meekly accepted this. So yea, they were outplayed and as a result, they’re debating in Quincy in the last debate of the season.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:20 pm:
“The governors going to speak the truth’’. Wow, he’s really pulling out all the stops.
- Fixer - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:27 pm:
“The governors going to speak the truth’’- well, there’s a first time for everything I guess.
- Cubs in '16 - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:29 pm:
===Susana Mendoza was at that last one saying that the state will have pay 7% late payment interest on those step increases===
Well, Rauner has repeatedly said we need better payin’ jobs…
Imagine the economic stimulus when all those State workers get their back pay plus interest. It won’t happen on Rauner’s watch but it’ll happen.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:36 pm:
===they screwed this up===
Again, nope. You’re down, you’re an incumbent, you debate anywhere, anytime.
===…long before they were down 16-22.===
Rauner has never led in polling. So let me rephrase… if you’re an incumbent and trail in polling…
===and rather than push back with a Carbondale or Springfield or anywhere else option, they meekly accepted this.===
lol, you’re not very good at this.
With what leverage?
“I won’t debate in Quincy… oh… so no debates… “
When you trail, you need any forum anywhere.
Heck, doing what you suggest… Pritzker coulda walked. Why not too, Pritzker’s lead has only widened. So… what leverage did Rauner have? That’s right, none.
===…they were outplayed and as a result, they’re debating in Quincy in the last debate of the season.===
Ya can’t get outplayed when you need any and all forums you can with your opponent… that you’re trailing.
Yikes.
- Anon0091 - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:47 pm:
You’re right Willy. Having the last debate in Quincy was the only option. BTIA couldn’t do anything else. They couldn’t have gotten out front on debates. They couldn’t have pressured JB with early public shaming. Their only move was to sit on their hands until August and then accept a final debate in the worst place in the state for their campaign. Well played BTIA.
- Hindsight - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:48 pm:
Malpractice is killing 14 veterans, trying to cover it up, and then when that fails saying you think you actually did a good job.
Mayor Daley said “Good government is good politics.”
The reverse is also true: Bad government is bad politics.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:51 pm:
=No.
When you are down 16-22 points, you debate anywhere, anytime, to try to get something in that hour to use to get out of the hole.
Malpractice, in this instance, would be an incumbent candidate who is down 16-22 points… and never debating at all.=
OW, with respect, I disagree.
Normally your any where, anytime, any place philosophy for someone as far behind as Rauner is would be spot on.
However, In this case the back drop is toxic for Rauner. It is the scene of his greatest failure. If it was a fiscal or policy error that wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but the back drop here is the deaths of 14 people.
Any other place on the planet would be better. Literally. Pritzker will drown out any legit issues on his property tax by pointing toward the vets home. No matter what Rauner loses tonight.
With respect.
- Huh? - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:51 pm:
“I think the governor has a right to work, just someplace else”
Since 1.4% is expected to be unemployed at noon on 1/14/19, can he apply for unemployment benefits? If so, he needs to go directly to the unemployment office before going home and apply for benefits.
Wonder how he will survive on $400/week.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:52 pm:
===They couldn’t have gotten out front on debates.===
Probably not… the Sun-Times…
===“Pritzker is depriving Illinois voters across the state to ask meaningful questions because he knows he will not be able to answer them,” Rauner spokesman Alex Browning said.
Browning said the Rauner campaign has agreed to more than 10 debates in markets across the state, and he’s “willing to face questions from Illinoisans on all range of topics.”
But Pritzker’s camp says they’re just following Rauner’s own rules. The Republican participated in three debates when he ran for governor in 2014. […]
“It’s fascinating to me that Rauner is wanting to do any debates because you know normally the challenger wants to debate because the incumbent is ahead,” veteran Democratic consultant Kitty Kurth said. “I think this is a clear indication that even Rauner knows he is not ahead.” ===
So, as both sides haggled, and Rauner never led in any polling, Rauber had to take “best and final”
When you trail, you have no leverage, sitting on hands or not.
There was nothing to play, well or not.
- Huh? - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 3:54 pm:
“Governor Rauner is going to speak the truth…”
— checking for wallet, watch, phone, rings, tie pin, money clip … —
- Boone's is Back - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 4:08 pm:
Ouch.
- Real - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 4:09 pm:
Maybe it’s inflicting pain on others that appeals to his supporters.
-That’s the ballgame with Rauner supporters. It’s also why Rauner shifted on immigration to say Chicago has high crime because of illegal immigration. He knows how to attract his supporters. Whenever they hear of other groups of people getting wages cut, having there Union busted, or deporting immigrations they come voting for said candidate. In this case its Rauner and many of them identify him as a RHINO now so not sure how that will work to increase his numbers this late in the race.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 4:20 pm:
===Any other place on the planet would be better. Literally. Pritzker will drown out any legit issues on his property tax by pointing toward the vets home. No matter what Rauner loses tonight.
With respect.===
With respect,
Who says that campaigns must be fair?
Again, with respect.
OW
- Nick Name - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 4:29 pm:
===Governor Rauner is going to speak the truth tonight.===
I hope he doesn’t pull a muscle.
- M - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 4:36 pm:
== Governor Rauner is going to speak the truth tonight.==
Does he even know what the truth is?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 4:41 pm:
===Governor Rauner is going to speak the truth tonight.===
That is big news.
Kind of revealing when you have to announce it behorehand.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Oct 11, 18 @ 9:51 pm:
Wasn’t malpractice committed by the newspapers that endorsed Rauner 4 years ago?