* From Ken Griffin’s BGA interview about his support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin…
Mayor Daley was really clear that Chicago is the city that works, and he valued all the people I brought to this city. The mayor made clear that he had my back, that I could be comfortable making the investment in infrastructure, in talent, and in building Citadel. I know with Richard Irvin I’m going to have that feeling again. J.B. Pritzker is nowhere to be found on this issue.
- Google Is Your Friend - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:29 am:
All the money in the world can’t teach the difference between levels of government.
- PublicServant - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:30 am:
Thanks Citizens United. /S
- Long year - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:31 am:
Um did he say where Lori Lightfoot is? Seems like a lot of his problems are with her.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:36 am:
Poor guy, he just wants to be loved. Even if it costs him $100M.
- Dankakee - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:36 am:
Crazy day to invoke the Daley name as a positive thing.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:40 am:
This guy has a really weird way of bringing everything back to himself that transcends simple narcissism.
- James the Intolerant - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:40 am:
Daley loved kissing up to the monied class and left the rest of us in massive debt.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:40 am:
Daley, in the end, was about the insiders, the political class reaping rewards from the “money” class, and…
… it was ALL possible because Daley had a City Council that *rarely* was at odds with the Administration.
I don’t think Irvin will have that with the possible upcoming General Assembly.
See: Rauner, Bruce
* Governing style, Daley-esque
- MG85 - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:45 am:
That’s how I want my government…administered on “feelings.”
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:45 am:
Bring back that lovin’ feeling, now it’s gone, gone, gone, whoa-oh…
- sal-says - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:47 am:
What money can buy.
But.
Irvin ain’t Daley
- Bruce( no not him) - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:49 am:
“Get out of my, and let me make money. That’s all I really want.”
- AC - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:50 am:
Just thinking of the “opportunities” for privatizing public infrastructure statewide the way parking was handled under Daley leaves me with the same feeling too, but it’s not a good one.
- Dirty Red - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:50 am:
Comparing the candidate to the Daleys in 2022 is a fantastic way to get to 20 percent. Well done, sir!
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:53 am:
Hello, Bailey comms team? Sullivan team? Neoliberal Griffin loves the corrupt Chicago Machine and his forcing his Democrat Party puppet candidate on the true patriots. Is there anybody out there? Is there Anybody Out There? (h/t Pink Floyd)
“The mayor made clear that he had my back”
Ken Griffin made clear he doesn’t have Illinois’ back, deliberately bringing the state to its knees.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:53 am:
===Seems like a lot of his problems are with her===
Sure does. He complained that Pritzker wouldn’t call out the National Guard, but doing so without the mayor’s involvement woulda been a real problem. Again, the beef is with her. Very weird.
- Uptown Progressive - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:56 am:
I had the Daley treatment once - sitting in the comfy chairs in the huge office. It was very flattering. Unlike Ken, I happened to be smart enough to realize that Daley was still in charge and would do what he wanted to do.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:57 am:
AC is right. The parking contract handed out by RM Daley is the single dumbest decision ever made by any mayor in the history of the United States.
- Suburbanon - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:59 am:
Hmm. A Republican Billionaire trying to associate himself with a Big City Democrat to cleanse his image with the people. Is that like going to the Lourdes of Illinois politics to wash away his political sins?
- Watchful eye. - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 8:59 am:
Fairly certain that most Chicago residents would gladly take Daley back. The City is a mess.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:00 am:
First Rauner, now Daley. I wonder if he could say some great things about Blago and George Ryan so I can finish throwing up. The man only seems to support people that mess up the government fiscally.
- Henry Francis - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:01 am:
If Irvin is the kind of guy that makes him feel more comfortable, why doesn’t Griff just move Citadel to Aurora? Wouldn’t that be easier and cheaper than trying to get Irvin elected Governor?
- Independent - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:01 am:
Take Daley back? Chicago is still digging out from his fiscal malpractice.
- Real - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:06 am:
Yeah, it’s not about what Griffin said. If so he would of moved his company to Aurora and worked with Ken Dunkin 2.0 to show an example of his plans for the state first. The issue is he does not have good plans for anyone but himself.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:09 am:
I miss Maggie Daley. Ritchie, not so much.
- halving_fun - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:10 am:
this thread is gold
- Keyrock - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:16 am:
Why, it’s almost like he’s describing . . . The Combine . . . And praising it.
(It’s hard to say, but John Kass . . . was right about that.)
(Is “Kass” a banned word?)
- Anchors Away - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:17 am:
Griffin should have given his money and shut his mouth. No candidate wants your biggest donor to become the story and Griffin has insured that at least half of this campaign will be about him and his narcissistic obsessive hatred of JB. Which is not really a winning message. I would say that Irvin should tell Ken to sit down and stay out of the limelight but we all know who is calling the shots in this campaign.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:17 am:
Remember when Rauner spoke to the Chicago City Council?
Think on how that “helped”
Rauner felt Rahm was “his”
Rahm carried ZERO votes in the GA. It’s a misunderstanding of the levels of government and how things “work” at a grade school level… but when you’re the richest man in Illinois, does that matter? Griffin wants what he wants.
- Graybeard - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:23 am:
“I, I, I… me, me, me…”
Sounds about right.
- Righteous Brothers - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:23 am:
It would be truly righteous if Don Harmon’s band would cover “You Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” with altered lyrics, of course.
- Publius - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:25 am:
So did Daley have Griffin in his pocket or the other way around.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:25 am:
Like all Illinois Democrats Mayor Richard Daley over spent on Union labor contracts like the 10 year labor peace be negotiated to insure there would be no work stoppages during the Olympics that was not to be.
Who is the massive debt owed to again?
- Robbie Gould Fan - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:27 am:
What happens when Ken Griffin’s puppet starts doing the opposite of what he wants? Raising taxes, spending, corruption?
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:30 am:
Good god, it’s all about his feelings, huh?
I think we should all strive to be kind to everyone, and there’s no need to intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings. But an awful lot of our problems the last few years involve rich old men lashing out because their precious feelings were hurt.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:30 am:
===Raising taxes, spending, corruption?===
Rauner wanted BOTH raising taxes AND raising spending, Rauner just wanted Dems to do it on their own, and he’d agree to all of it, if Dems took on and hurt Labor.
So, yeah, that won’t bother Griffin, as long as he gets *his* wants.
Corruption courted by a governor? GHR or Rod, you choose.
- Nuke The Whales - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:31 am:
So Rauner 2.0 is going to make the next sell the parking meter deal and set us up to lose the Bears too? Overall, I get how this quote CAN work in his favor politically, but I’m primed to have a rabid disdain for Ken Griffin specifically and this unholy alliance generally so that’s going to be my take.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:33 am:
==This guy has a really weird way of bringing everything back to himself that transcends simple narcissism. ==
I’m sure it drives the people who actually want Irvin to be Governor nuts. I’m just not sure how many of those there are.
==Again, the beef is with her. Very weird. ==
Well, I’m sure he’ll get to her. But in the meantime, there’s a bit of poetic resonance here- he drafts a proxy candidate to run against someone who is just a proxy for his real problem.
- DisappointedVoter - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:37 am:
Bring back the HDO? Truck hiring scandal? Bad parking deal? Pension mismanagement?
I think JB is right, Ken wants to destroy our communities.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:38 am:
==Fairly certain that most Chicago residents would gladly take Daley back. ==
I think you’d be surprised. I bet there’s a poll or two that would show him beating MLL, but if he had to actually campaign, I think he’d get eaten alive these days.
==No candidate wants your biggest donor to become the story and Griffin has insured that at least half of this campaign will be about him and his narcissistic obsessive hatred of JB.==
Yup, and it was a flaw in the architecture. If they lose, I think the Griffin Gang is going to look back on letting everyone find out that Griffin was behind Irvin before Irvin even announced as a huge mistake.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:40 am:
===would gladly take Daley back===
Maybe, but I’d like to see some data.
Also, Rod Blagojevich wanted to send in the National Guard to quell crime while Daley was governor. Some of y’all forget that crime was a problem before MLL.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:52 am:
==Like all Illinois Democrats Mayor Richard Daley over spent on Union labor contracts like the 10 year labor peace be negotiated to insure there would be no work stoppages during the Olympics that was not to be.==
And the stated position of the owner of the Illinois Republican Party is that he felt good during all that and wants to return to it. It must tear you up inside.
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:54 am:
- The mayor made clear that he had my back -
Must be tough having all those billions and still feeling insecure without a mayor to hold your hand.
Grif must have ramped his car over another speed bump but JB and MLL won’t respond to his emails like Rahm did. My heart weeps for him.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:54 am:
==while Daley was governor==
Some would call this a Freudian slip, but the Real Heads know that it was *his father* who secretly ran the state, not RMD.
- Not a Superstar - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:58 am:
Griffin is a case study in what Josh Marshall calls “The Brittle Grip.” It’s the phenomenon where uber-wealthy right wing finance types decry anything they oppose as creeping socialism and authoritarianism. It’s not enough that Griffin defeated the Fair Tax: he has to undermine state and local government in every way possible in an attempt to lock in his preferences for decades to come. It’s unlikely to work in Illinois this year, but it’s working in plenty of other places.
- NIU Grad - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:58 am:
“nowhere to be found on this issue.”
The issue of giving him attention, public funding, tax breaks, and the keys to the castle.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 10:02 am:
Governor > Mayor… that’s first.
Second? Easy… 60/71, 30/36
The rest is Griffin not understanding that whole Bruce and Diana Rauner, with $50 million, bought caucuses… they never bought 60/71, 30/36…
… buying Dunkin, Drury, and Franks isn’t winning anything
- Tomorrow is yesterday - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 10:05 am:
Griffin wants a mayor who takes his meetings and calls. A mayor that takes care of downtown as a jewel of the city not just another neighborhood.
He has contributed tons of money to downtown, the museums, arts and other ventures to put his name in the archives. Just like the Wrigleys, McCormicks and the Ward families.
I don’t blame him. I don’t like seeing all the smash and grabs or shootings downtown; in the midst of our tourist destinations. The riots destroying Michigan Ave and State St. are not what anyone wanted to see.
Hiring the next Gov however doesn’t get the ROI that I think he believes it will concerning the City. He should be focused on the mayoral race and have someone who actually knows how to do politics, so they can work with the GA around or with the Gov.
- ZC - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 10:07 am:
At the end of the day, Griffin wants to support the most anti-public-sector-union candidate he thinks can win. So depending on whether the CTU recruits a strong candidate versus Lightfoot, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Griffin in Lightfoot’s corner next year.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 10:29 am:
=Like all Illinois Democrats Mayor Richard Daley over spent on Union labor contracts like the 10 year labor peace be negotiated to insure there would be no work stoppages during the Olympics that was not to be.=
Griffin was happy then. So…
- Pundent - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 11:14 am:
While Griffin’s money might provide the fuel Irvin’s campaign needs, I’m not so sure that his words will. The idea that Irvin may be merely an empty suit to soothe Griffin’s fragile ego is quite frightening.
What exactly will Griffin’s governing priorities be this time around?
- Amalia - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 11:27 am:
oh, so it’s all about him. meanwhile, bad sales of parking meters, a failed Olympics bid that cost energy and created dissension, the prosecution of a member of his legislative staff….
- Proud Sucker - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 11:36 am:
“Who is the massive debt owed to again?”
Workers who were promised it as part of their compensation: teachers, firefighters, streets & san workers, cops, water billing folks, etc.
The problem is that Richie sold away the means to help pay for those promises to Morgan Stanley, Allianz Capital Partners and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (parking meters) and to Macquarie / Cintra (Skyway) who sold, in what can only be some twisted irony, to three Canadian pension funds: OMERS Infrastructure, CPP Investment Board, and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Had Richie put the $3B in the city’s pension funds, it would have been helpful though not close to restorative. Now the city has $30B in debt and two major revenue streams unavailable for another 83 years.
- Marty Funkhouser - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 1:11 pm:
So this is all about JB not smooching Griffin’s behind sufficiently.
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 1:15 pm:
All roads lead directly back to them…it’s a hallmark of narcissism.
- Original Rambler - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 1:37 pm:
Want Daley back? I’ll have what Watchful eye is smoking. The least damaging Daley out there is the one who ends up getting convicted. Life is funny that way.
If Griffin keeps inserting himself into the campaign, I like Irvin’s chances less and less.
- Chicago Blue - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 1:51 pm:
@ Proud Sucker
Don’t forget about the hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits paid by average citizens thanks to the Birge and the rest of the CPD torturing and abusing the physical bodies and civil rights of Black and Brown Chicagoans.
- Bourbon Street - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 2:33 pm:
Oooh, a Richie Daley-type governor is exactly what Illinois needs. Let’s sell the right to collect tolls to a corporation in exchange for a one time payment—that’ll solve our fiscal problems. The state parks don’t have nearly enough wrought iron fences—that’ll make them more attractive. Let’s bulldoze the airstrips at Midway with big “X’s” in the middle of the night because a useless park is exactly what Chicagoans need to get their minds off their problems. Looking forward to another member of the executive branch who refuses to be “scrootined”. /s
- Shytown - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 3:11 pm:
lololol. This guy. Keep talking Ken. Please, keep talking.
- Boone's is Back - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 3:13 pm:
Interested to see who he backs for Mayor.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 3:15 pm:
===Fairly certain that most Chicago residents would gladly take Daley back. The City is a mess.===
You’d think a Republican could win a race for mayor by now… instead the Chicago GOP backs Dems in these races.
I’d like to see actual numbers, Daley might be more popular than Rahm, sure, but tough to see the clamoring to a Daley back on 5.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 3:23 pm:
What an arrogant man. He doesn’t care about the State of Illinois. He cares about one person - himself. He wants to make sure all of his billions are protected. Sick.
- DMC - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 3:35 pm:
I hope Ken reads this column. Forget the Governors race. Put all of that cash of yours into unseating Kim Fox.
- DMC - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 5:05 pm:
Bombing? Germans? Pearl Harbor? Forget it. He’s rolling
- Real - Tuesday, Feb 15, 22 @ 9:14 pm:
There’s whole website called Ken Griffin Lies I just ran across.