ABATE pulls endorsement from Rauner
Sunday, Oct 28, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Comments are now open on this post.]
* Gov. Rauner wore an ABATE Illinois sweatshirt to yesterday’s MAGA rally, but tonight ABATE announced it had withdrawn its endorsement…
ABATE of Illinois Political Action Committee is disappointed in Governor Rauner signing an executive order opening Illinois roads to autonomous vehicles with no safeguards. it has been our policy when working with elected officials on issues to hear what they say, but see what they do.
We believe that the Governor’s actions are a serious departure from discussions and intentions communicated to our committee, and represent a danger to the lives of motorcyclists on Illinois roadways.
For these reasons ABATE of Illinois PAC is removing our endorsement from Governor Rauner’s re-election campaign. ABATE is an independent organization representing Motorcyclists in Illinois, and we hope that by removing this endorsement other elected officials realize how seriously we take the issue of autonomous vehicles on Illinois roadways.
The executive order is here.
This is pretty big, campers.
- Madame Defarge - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:12 am:
It’s time for Dandy Don to start singing “Turn out the lights”!
- Anon221 - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:13 am:
Will Rauner have to turn his patches and hoodie in now??? /s
- Anon - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:14 am:
“Get your motor runnin’, head out on the highway… and don’t come back!”
- Real - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:16 am:
Is it like a majority of Abate members will even get the memo before Nov 6?
- Huh? - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:17 am:
Good on ABATE. Autonomous vehicles are decades away from ubiquitous use on Illinois roads. When such a vehicle can navigate a gravel road in a blinding snow or rain storm, then they will be ready for prime time. Until then, they are a pipe dream.
- wordslinger - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:32 am:
–We believe that the Governor’s actions are a serious departure from discussions and intentions communicated to our committee,–
Rauner lied to you?
The line starts, way back there.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:37 am:
Somewhere, Bruce Rauner enjoyed a Stag, enjoyed the blind trust, which includes…
… I wanna be the first to congratulate Gov. Rauner, since his blind trust prohibits him from knowing he owns professional sports teams….
…his piece of the Boston Red Sox, as they won the World Series.
You lose ABATE, you win a World Series?
With the Red Sox win, Bruce could go to the White House with the ball club. POTUS can’t ignore him there.
Oh, governor, you own part of the Steerers too… they won yesterday too.
- Arsenal - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:41 am:
==Is it like a majority of Abate members will even get the memo before Nov 6?==
Was it even likely that a majority of ABATE members were voting for Rauner before this? I don’t pretend to know a critical mass of their members, but the ones I do know are iconoclasts.
- phocion - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:41 am:
Baffled by ABATE’s decision. The EO appears to be intended to promote safety, among other benefits, with the coming of autonomous vehicles. No way will fully autonomous vehicles be allowed without their ability to share the roads with bikers. Seems to be a luddite reaction to technology that isn’t going to go away. Illinois needs to get ahead of the AV curve.
- Arsenal - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:42 am:
I actually feel bad for Rauner on this one. He genuinely seems to enjoy riding and puts some of his self-identity in that community. To have that community now publicly reject him must really sting.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 9:46 am:
===Seems to be a luddite reaction to technology that isn’t going to go away===
LOL
You gotta have the tech before it can go away.
- A Jack - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 10:06 am:
I don’t get the timing of this EO. There are concerns that autonomous trucks will cost truck driving jobs. And if they are electric, that will kill a big source of motor fuel revenue that is needed for Illinois’ infrastructure. Yet, trucks are probably the biggest contributors to infrastructure wear and tear.
- Perrid - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 10:33 am:
No one is saying AVs are ready to go it alone yet, though for the record, if AV’s with a human driver scare them they should be terrified of normal human drivers. Just saying.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 10:34 am:
===ready to go it alone yet===
The most over-hyped vaporware since “Monorail!”
- Henry Francis - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 10:56 am:
Given the real world effects of that EO (none), it seems ABATE is reaching to come up with a reason to distance itself from the Guv.
Not even Diana in a side car could save this.
- Arsenal - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 10:59 am:
==Given the real world effects of that EO (none), it seems ABATE is reaching to come up with a reason to distance itself from the Guv.==
ABATE is looking for ways to say to every candidate, “Don’t mess with us”.
This, frankly, is a cheap way to do that.
- Not so silent majority - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 11:36 am:
This is indeed huge, and ABATE will spread the word (if they haven’t already). If I was someone working in the McCann camp, I would be putting together a nice fast social media ad right now (if they haven’t already).
- Todd - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 11:48 am:
McCann crapped in his nest with ABATE after the endorsement session. That dog won’t hunt.
- Aim to Misbehave - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 11:56 am:
McCann lobbed some false accusations against ABATE’s leadership and PAC a couple weeks ago. Doubt they’d be willing to promote him at all.
- Anonymous - Monday, Oct 29, 18 @ 4:10 pm:
Is former NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde still ABATE lobbyist? I don’t know if he could get hired as the the night clerk at Motel 6, with his legislative track record. Maybe the new spokesman for Motel 6 instead of Jim Bodette, with the beard?
- Generic Drone - Tuesday, Oct 30, 18 @ 12:13 am:
What good is a biker dude without a gang? Better return your flair Rauner. Your privledges have been revoked