Sullivan vows Illinois “turnaround”
Thursday, Sep 9, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Jesse Sullivan’s campaign kickoff speech…
The turnaround of Illinois starts right here, right now!
The whole thing is a bit, well, oddly Rauneresque. He said he has “muddy Sangamon River water flowing through my veins,” for instance. Read it for yourself.
…Adding… DPI…
Jesse Sullivan: Another Page out of the IL GOP Playbook
Fueled by out-of-state contributions, another anti-choice candidate enters the race
Chicago - In response to Jesse Sullivan’s campaign announcement, Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt released the following statement:
“Jesse Sullivan may offer a new name and a different face, but he follows the Illinois GOP playbook entirely. Playing up fear tactics instead of providing real policies and solutions and equating leadership with questionable out-of-state donations is not what Illinois needs.
“Jesse Sullivan has a lot of important questions to answer about where he stands on issues that matter most to Illinoisans. Until then, no one is fooled by the packaging.”
Jesse Sullivan’s largest contribution - $5 million - comes from a Californian named Chris Larsen who is currently being prosecuted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Jesse Sullivan is not the first Republican candidate to enter the gubernatorial race burdened with ethical and finance-related problems. The Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association highlighted Gary Rabine’s ties to Turning Point USA, an ultra-conservative organization with questionable finances.
- Ok - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 6:51 pm:
I think you mean “flowin’”
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 6:56 pm:
Ok makes a good point.
- Huh? - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 6:56 pm:
Bruce is that you?
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:03 pm:
Oh geez, I couldn’t get past the first line before I rolled my eyes and closed the document.
- Mary Poppins - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:07 pm:
Thank you, next.
- Proud Papa Bear - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:09 pm:
Turnaround? We’re finally going in the right direction.
- ChuckIL - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:10 pm:
Oof…that’s a bad speech. Also, Illinois saw it’s first credit rating increase in a score (20 years) and we’re actually paying our bills on time. I like the way we’ve turned. I don’t want to go back. The god and culture claptrap is unwelcome.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:16 pm:
OK, I read a little and skimmed the rest. It’s a fine statement, sweet vanilla.
It feels like a generic version of authenticity. Fine. Whatever.
So far, this message has to compete with Shrimpf and tje Cornhole Warriors. While I appreciate that his candidacy ends the Dillard audition, I don’t think Sullivan has any connection to or idea of, where Illinois Republican primary voters are or where their energy comes from.
He’s about to learn a very expensive lesson: beware of consultants who say they believe in you.
- Facts Matter - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:20 pm:
It was painful to read. It’s doesn’t sound authentic. Whatever you think of Bailey, Rabine and Schimpf - and I don’t think much of the first two - they are authentic. This speech was chock full of poll-tested bromides.
- TJ - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:23 pm:
I wonder if Mr. Venture Capitalist realizes that he can’t just cut Illinois into tiny pieces, sell them to other states while absorbing their debts, and then just liquidate the remains of Illinois in bankruptcy court.
- Ryan - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:32 pm:
I swam in the Sangamon as a kid. You don’t want that running through nay part of your body.
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:42 pm:
Apparently really on the wrong side of the view of this speech.
Actually thought it was pretty good and gave us an interesting insight to this candidate as well as several reasons on why he is running.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:47 pm:
Being a caricature worked before…
Not much new, but a retread, but “stale vanilla” all the same
- The Dude Abides - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:50 pm:
JB is the best Governor we’ve had in a while. I think Sullivan’s chances of beating him are pretty slim. There wasn’t much in Sullivan’s speech that really resonated with me.
- OurMagician - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 7:52 pm:
With you Back to the Future.
I look at this way, is it more comforting to have this guy or the other ‘R’’s that are running? I say yes and am interested to see how he works and plans. He’s not trying to blame Shekawgo for all our problems, he speaks highly of the city and its potential.
- Pundent - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 8:00 pm:
It does seem to be Bruce Rauner part II albeit a much younger version. And I suspect if we went back and compared it to prior Rauner speeches we’d hear a lot of the same things.
Could be enough to get Rabine to reconsider his candidacy, corn poll results notwithstanding. But the first task for Sullivan is beating Bailey in a primary. A crowded field with Schrimpf and Rabine increases those odds a bit.
- Moe Berg - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 8:13 pm:
I find it quite amusing that he has a speech that goes on at some Rauner-like length about how much he just loves himself some Illinois.
But, the first A-1 he files, with nearly $11 million in contributions, and the money is from four Californians, a Texan and a Coloradan. Nothing from an Illinois donor and nothing from himself.
We sure this isn’t a spin-off from HBO’s Silicon Valley? Is this definitely legit?
It might be time for Dad’s Home State: The Next Generation, Oswego Willy.
- Coco - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 8:13 pm:
“Pritzker is corrupt, Madigan is corrupt, corrupt lobbyists & politicians are bad, I love Illinois but it sucks right now blah, blah blah…”
Same claptrap from every Republican running. I didn’t read anything about what he intends to do to make Illinois better. The part I had to do a double-take on is when he mentioned Chicago, and said people were afraid to move here. Didn’t Chicago actually gain population the last 10 years, per the 2020 census? It sounds like he hasn’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in Illinois. Same speech, different candidate.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 8:23 pm:
===It might be time for Dad’s Home State: The Next Generation===
If he gets thru the primary…
- Keyrock - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 8:31 pm:
The speech does have a hand-me-down feel to it.
Has he poll-tested the Village People costumes, too?
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 9:07 pm:
Lot of dancing around stuff in that speech - no COVID, no Trump, no abortion, and again with the “served our nation in uniform” half-truth.
You can dance for your pre-packaged video and speech. Can’t dance forever.
- Chicago 20 - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 9:09 pm:
Been here, got done with that.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 9:33 pm:
I have two thoughts on Sullivan.
First is that he founded his company in San Francisco and not his “hometown” of lil ol’ Petersburg. It will be interesting to find out what he has been up to since he moved to Cali. His service in Afghanistan is also interesting.
We may find out he is legit and who he presents himself to be. If so, he could be a legit challenger. If he is not pro choice in Illinois his hill will be pretty tough from go.
We could find out through oppo research that there are some skeletons in his closet and he is out of the race by December.
Time will tell.
- One hand //ing - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 10:23 pm:
This guy doesn’t know voters just overwhelmingly rejected this message when it was Rauner’s. He would have to live here to know that.
- Lynn S. - Thursday, Sep 9, 21 @ 11:40 pm:
@ Coco–
Something I’ve been thinking about lately:
Why is it that we hear folks saying “people are afraid to go to (x city), when (x city) is economically thriving and growing in population?
And the people peddling the fear of (x city) are almost always from some podunk place that’s ailing economically and losing population.
(X city) can be anywhere, but Chicago, Champaign, or Springfield are the ones that most immediately spring to mind.
- Pundent - Friday, Sep 10, 21 @ 8:10 am:
=(X city) can be anywhere=
It’s a dog whistle and it’s been used for years in an attempt to suggest that white suburbanites (usually moms) should be afraid. In reality it’s simply the racist views that are used to stoke rural America.
- Cheryl44 - Friday, Sep 10, 21 @ 9:03 am:
That was a large vat of corn puddin’.
- Langhorne - Friday, Sep 10, 21 @ 9:10 am:
Has he already done his “listening tour”? Did I miss it?
Illinois strong. How original.
- JS Mill - Friday, Sep 10, 21 @ 9:23 am:
It will be really interesting to see how his ILGOP competitors try to portray him.
Is he a hometown guy or did he go to the big city and only come back to run for office. Afterall, he made his money in San Francisco.
What is the story behind his time in Afghanistan? As he describes it, or something else?
I think the way he is portrayed and revealed will be interesting. If he is legit, and the real story is closer to is narrative versus something less positive, he could be a formidable opponent for Pritzker.
That he is opposed to women’s reproductive rights in Illinois, he will have a challenging hill to climb especially given recent actions in Texas and the USSC.
- G'Kar - Friday, Sep 10, 21 @ 12:49 pm:
The local whacko group I follow on FB has already rejected Sullivan. They are all in on Bailey.