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Rauner denies being “disingenuous” about tax hike

Tuesday, Jun 5, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

REPORTER: “You just signed a budget that spends the money from the tax increase that you opposed. Over the summer we’re moving into a campaign season. Are you going to out there on the campaign trail and tell people that you object to this tax increase that you’re approving the spending on?”

RAUNER: “Absolutely.”

REPORTER: “Isn’t that disingenuous?”

RAUNER: “Not at all. If we introduced – if we passed a budget that I introduced, the spending plan that I introduced we could begin to rollback that tax hike and we would be running a $1.5 billion surplus in this coming year and we could – “

REPORTER: [INAUDIBLE]

RAUNER: “This is bipartisan compromise, this is a compromise. It’s not perfect, none of us got everything that we were looking for. This budget does not pay down bills so I was very frustrated. It did not pass the comprehensive pension reform that the Senate Democrats passed last year, we need to do that. It did not get regulatory relief for businesses, and workers comp and other regulations so we can grow more jobs. And most importantly, or I should say maybe very importantly it did not get the mandate relief on our schools, our schools need mandate relief and we need mandate relief on our local government so we can consolidate governments more effectively and efficiently and bring down our tax burden. These are the changes we will continue to strive to make, but this budget for the first time in many years even prior to me being Governor is balanced, through some hard work and some great efforts we will have it balanced and it stops some excessive spending that would have otherwise happened. And it’s a good step in the right direction.”

Notice he didn’t answer the question.

* Another exchange…

I’ll add one other point that I think is salient, if we had passed the budget that I had introduced in February – that I had proposed in February – and then just used the rest of the assumptions and programs that are in this budget we would be running about a $1.5 billion surplus in the coming fiscal year. We could use that for a tax reduction, we could use that to invest more in infrastructure, and we could use that to pay down bills.

OK, now that’s disingenuous. He talks like $1.5 billion is a huge amount of money that can easily be divvied up for a tax cut, infrastructure and paying off bills. The bill backlog alone will be more than $7 billion at the end of the fiscal year.

A $1.5 billion tax cut would reduce the income rate by 0.375 percentage points. So, instead of a 4.95 personal rate, we’d have a 4.575 rate. Great news! The exodus will surely end! But since much of what they used to “balance” the budget are one-time revenue sources, including borrowing $800 million from special funds for two years and selling the Thompson Center, we’d be in an even worse hole.

Divide it up three ways and you’d trim the backlog by a mere $500 million, reduce the income tax rate by 0.125 points to 4.825 and have a half a bil left over for capital - and you’d still have a $6.6 billion backlog with even less state money to address it.

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*** UPDATED x3 - Blagojevich files paperwork - Pritzker, Rauner weigh in *** Blagojevich begs for the mercy he rarely provided others

Tuesday, Jun 5, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Yep…

Trump is considering commuting former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's 14-year prison sentence.

This @ChicagoMag piece reminded us: Blagojevich denied 93 percent of pardon or clemency requests during his six years as governor:https://t.co/ZwFALBuMKl

— ProPublica Illinois (@ProPublicaIL) May 31, 2018

* From that September, 2017 interview…

In the past, Blagojevich was accused of having unbridled optimism that at times blinded him to inconvenient truths. That doesn’t seem to have faded. Even though he’s now down to a long-shot appeal to the Supreme Court, he is convinced that he will be vindicated: “I still believe, ultimately, we’ll prevail.”

If that attempt fails, Blagojevich’s only hope would be a presidential pardon or clemency. I point out the irony: In the six years he was governor, Blagojevich denied 93 percent of the 1,024 such requests he considered and let 2,800 pile up without action, causing a massive backlog. (By comparison, Pat Quinn acted on nearly 5,000 and granted more than one-third.) “You’re right,” Blagojevich says. “I didn’t do nearly enough. I regret that very much. I wish I knew what I know now. The sentences are extremely merciless. I’ve learned there’s a lot of oversentencing.”

In my opinion, he denied and ignored those requests because he feared the political consequences. He was a former assistant state’s attorney and wanted to look “tough on crime.” And now he begs for mercy while proclaiming his innocence.

I just can’t with this guy.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Gov. Rauner was asked about possible presidential clemency for Blagojevich today. His response…

Blagojevich’s case and behavior has been reviewed by judges, many judges, including the Supreme Court, by many legal experts, many attorneys.

They’ve all come to the conclusion that Blagojevich is where he belongs and he should stay where he’s at. So, I’ll leave it at that.

…Adding… Video is here.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Sun-Times…

Rauner and Democrat J.B. Pritzker may have one thing in common: they don’t believe President Donald Trump should grant imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich a commutation.

Pritzker’s campaign said he believes “the former governor is where he belongs.” […]

The Pritzker campaign also told the Sun-Times on Tuesday that “JB thinks there’s plenty of other things that Donald Trump should be focusing on,” while acknowledging that it’s up to Trump whether to pardon or commute his sentence.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Tribune…

Imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich filed official paperwork Tuesday asking President Donald Trump to commute his 14-year prison sentence on sweeping corruption charges.

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Manar launches first TV ad

Tuesday, Jun 5, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* As I told subscribers yesterday, Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) today becomes the first state legislator to air a TV ad. This is running on cable and broadcast TV in the Springfield/Decatur market…

* Script…

Every day my dad rolled up his sleeves and went to work. 35 years pouring concrete, driving a snowplow, operating a backhoe. He helped shape who I am and how I serve.

As Macoupin County Board Chairman, I balanced the budget by cutting pay and pensions for elected officials.

In the Senate, I’ve refused a pension; said no budget, no pay; and I’m working to freeze property taxes.

Families here work hard. They deserve someone who rolls up their sleeves and goes to work for them.

Manar is up against Christian County GOP Chairman Seth McMillan. The race is expected to see 7-figure spending by both sides, so getting an early start is probably a good idea. Also, I don’t expect Manar will stay on an exclusively positive track for very long.

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Rauner, Pritzker release first TV ads of the general election

Tuesday, Jun 5, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Rauner is kicking off the festivities by taking the Blagojevich route, which is mighty interesting since President Trump is considering letting the man out of prison and Rauner’s Blagojevich TV ads during the primary didn’t really hurt Pritzker all that much. I mean, the dude won by 20 points after Rauner spent millions.

Then again, general election audiences are very different than Democratic primary audiences, and it’s well known that the Rauner folks have been polling and focus-grouping the heck out of this topic. And the spot most definitely takes a wicked shot at Pritzker, which his GOP base will appreciate. Press release…

Today, the Rauner campaign is launching the first TV ad of the general election, and latest in a series highlighting JB Pritzker’s conversations with corrupt ex-governor Rod Blagojevich, federal inmate #40892-424, caught on FBI wiretaps.

The ad features Pritzker and Blagojevich talking about potentially appointing Barack Obama’s controversial spiritual leader Reverend Jeremiah Wright to the former president’s open Senate seat.

Pritzker quipped how “hilarious” it would be, followed by both of them rounding out their conversation with a rousing “God D@mn America!”

* Rate it…

Not a lot of context there. But the patriotic theme could take hold. Again, this is a sop to the base, which is absolutely fine for this point in the campaign.

* Background text from a GOP operative…

Only 16% of people in the state blame Bruce Rauner solely for our problems. An overwhelming majority blame Mike Madigan — to whom Pritzker has solidly hitched his wagon.

* On to the next one. Press release…

Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released the first in a new series of TV ads that will document how Bruce Rauner has failed Illinoisans across the state as governor.

The first ad in the series, “Brent,” highlights how Bruce Rauner’s failure to pass a budget led to the halt of road construction and 20,000 workers being laid off at the height of construction season. Learn more about the Rauner Failed Me campaign at www.RaunerFailedMe.com.

“Bruce Rauner’s failed leadership has had a real and lasting impact on hardworking people across our state and after three and a half years in office, it’s clear this governor has nothing positive to talk about,” said JB Pritzker. “Working families have been lied to, let down, and failed by Rauner for nearly four years — and it’s time their stories are heard.”

* Rate it…

* If you wanted Pritzker to draw serious blood with his first ad, this definitely ain’t it. They’re trying to build a narrative, though, so we’ll see. Actual general election voters may not want this thing to start out as an 11 on a scale of 1-10 and the ad does tell a story about how a real person was hurt by the governor’s choices.

Even so, it looks to my eyes like an overreaction to Hillary Clinton’s unexpected blue-collar losses in the “Rust Belt” states. Illinois isn’t Wisconsin, or Michigan, or Pennsylvania or Ohio, however. Hillary won Illinois by 17 points.

The spot seems like a too-careful-by-half, overpaid consultant’s ad and not what the relatively small number of people who are actually paying attention right now really want (which is what the Rauner ad most definitely is - a vicious assault). Instead of kicking it all off with some nasty red meat for a few days, they’ve taken the safely bland route from the get-go. They may live to regret that choice. If you’re gonna say you’ll “protect” the state from President Trump and Gov. Rauner then you need to show you’re up to the task. This ad most definitely falls short. I’ve been warning for months that Pritzker may not be tough enough to win this thing, and his inaugural ad, in my opinion, only bolsters that prediction. But, hey, they’ve got reams of polling data and endless focus group experience and I don’t.

* Script…

My name is Brent Williams, and I’m a proud union laborer. I’m one of the guys that works construction out there on the highways you drive by. Last summer, in the middle of our busy season, because of Bruce Rauner not passing a budget, I was told my job was being shut down. We just bought a house. I need to be working. When I’m not working, I’m not making money, and roads and bridges aren’t being fixed. Along with me, there were 20,000 other workers that were laid off. I don’t know that Bruce Rauner does think of me. Why would we do it for four more years?

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