* This quote was buried in a long post below, but here’s WLS Radio…
Gov. Bruce Rauner went on Fox & Friends this morning and accused House Speaker Mike Madigan of running “a Mafia protection racket.”
Rauner took it up a notch against Madigan by trying to link the speaker’s property tax assessment appeal law firm to corruption this way.
“Basically in the political job he raises property taxes”, said Rauner, “We have the highest property taxes in America. And then on the side, he charges millions of dollars in fees to businesses that are afraid of their property taxes. He reduces them for a fee and then he holds the threat that if they ever cross him, he’ll raise their property taxes. It’s just like the Mafia. It’s a Mafia protection racket!”
Chris Kennedy, Democratic candidate for governor, released his statewide infrastructure plan today while attending events in Peoria and Champaign.
Kennedy’s plan helps ensure that every community in Illinois is connected through roads that are paved and not perpetually congested, a rail system that efficiently delivers freight and connects our major towns and cities with regular and predictable passenger rail, statewide broadband internet access that is critical for 21st century communication, and an effective waterway system that is essential for our freight and shipping economy.
“Our plan reinvests in Illinois’ infrastructure to create jobs in all sectors: from construction workers to electricians, from agriculture to logistics, and from small business to big business,” Kennedy said. “Together we will put our collective shoulder to the wheel, refresh Illinois’ economy and put this state to work.
“Capital projects build infrastructure and offer an entry point to full economic participation that can lift up entire communities.”
Illinois has not had a capital bill for the entire state since 2009. Not only has Governor Rauner refused to advance plans for capital infrastructure investment but he has halted projects that were underway. Countless economic studies have found that investments in infrastructure increase the overall productivity of the economy. In addition, with improved infrastructure comes faster, more reliable transportation which allows companies to move their products faster and more reliably.
“The path to energizing the economy in every region of the state involves a robust higher education system,” Kennedy said. “We will create a steady increase in investments in education, knowing full well that universities are the economic engines of our state. Our public universities support the state’s economy as hubs of innovation, conducting pioneer research and preparing students to join the 21st century workforce.”
The plan also:
Creates a State Grants Office to ensure that the state of Illinois and its employers, research facilities and taxpayers are getting their fair share from the federal government.
Establishes a Deputy Governor for Rail and Intermodal Transportation to oversee freight and passenger railway expansion.
Guarantees the administration partners with other states that border the Mississippi River to lobby the federal government to increase subsidies to upgrade our lock and dam system.
Commits a Kennedy-Joy administration to working closely with the Illinois EPA to protect drinking water and fund wastewater management programs.
Focuses on closing the digital divide.
“In order to have the best economy in the nation, Illinois has to have the greatest infrastructure system in the world,” Kennedy said. “If we invest in our infrastructure, the jobs we will create and the companies we will attract to Illinois will jumpstart our economy and ensure that we remain one of the best places in the world to move to for a job, to own a business, and to raise a family.”
* Biss campaign…
Today the Biss campaign is releasing a new series: “The Billionaire Playbook Play of the Day”. While JB Pritzker and Chris Kennedy spend their millions to convince voters they’re different from the other inexperienced billionaire businessmen who hold public office, their records show something different. Like Donald Trump and Bruce Rauner, Pritzker and Kennedy are using the Billionaire Playbook to navigate their way through hypocritical attacks, tax scams, and more. Let’s take a look at the play-by-play:
Today’s Play of the Day: Bullying the Press
Let’s Go to the Tape
Like Donald Trump, JB Pritzker tries to avoid reporters who ask questions that he doesn’t like.
In a move the Chicago Tribune said was “disrespectful to Downstate voters and smacks of faintheartedness,” JB Pritzker ducked out of participating in the only debate that would have reached television audiences outside of Chicago after the media host, WCIA-TV, published stories about his shadowy financial maneuvers to fund his campaign via offshore trusts and shell companies, his championing of charter schools for his own profit, and his hidden donations to Michael Madigan via obscure LLCs. Pritzker has in the past restricted access to NBC Chicago, sending his spokesperson to publicly feud with a station reporter.
Meanwhile, Gov. Bruce Rauner refuses to debate his primary opponent, Jeanne Ives, while avoiding tough questions throughout his campaign.
JB Pritzker and Bruce Rauner cut off access to reporters for asking tough questions, just like Donald Trump does. It’s just another page from their Billionaire Playbook.
* Pritzker campaign…
Instead of apologizing for badmouthing Cairo students and making false claims, Chris Kennedy tripled down on his attacks on public school teachers and students.
Despite being reminded that SAT scores are not a recognized as a metric for college readiness, Kennedy defended his repeated attacks yesterday, claiming “the information I took was right off of a state of Illinois website, and that’s how we’re measuring ourselves.” He then continued slinging insults at hardworking students, saying “the kids who graduate are going to have a hard time making it in this economy.” Cairo students are defending themselves and taking the high road, with one high school senior telling a local TV station, “If he doesn’t think I can make it, I got to prove him wrong.”
“Chris Kennedy insults hardworking students left and right, and won’t back down from his baseless attacks even after he is confronted with the facts,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Students and teachers in Cairo have already stood up to correct Kennedy, but he refuses to learn his lesson.”
Maxwell: You pointed out recently that in Cairo, down in Southern Illinois, that zero percent of the students there were ready for college according to their SAT scores. That’s correct, but they don’t use that score for college readiness in the state of Illinois currently. Are you running dangerously close to- in the past we’ve seen this issue where you’re calling for more state funding for schools, but also some of the teachers and students there took offense that maybe you were saying they weren’t doing their jobs.
Kennedy: The information I took was right off of a state of Illinois website, and that’s how we’re measuring ourselves.
Maxwell: Can you clarify that comment?
Kennedy: I don’t believe that the tests measure potential or academic success. As the chairman of the University of Illinois, I sat, I sit on a board associated with the University of Chicago. I sit on the board associated with Kellogg, the school of business at Northwestern. I spent 12 years on the board of the Chicago, or the Catholic Theological Union. And so I know test scores are not determinant, but what they are evidence of is massive underfunding of our schools where if you’re in a town without a lot of property taxes, your school is so underfunded that the kids who graduate are going to have a hard time making it in this economy.
* Jeanne Ives…
Political Columnists Greg Hinz and John Kass called out Governor Rauner for lying about Jeanne Ives in political attack ads. A coalition of Republican legislators signed a letter demanding Governor Rauner end his shameful distortions of Jeanne Ives’ record.
To do something Rauner has proven unwilling to do: tell the truth, State Rep. Jeanne Ives, the conservative reform Republican for Governor, released a new campaign TV ad: Ives Won’t. Neither Should You.
Our Republican president is polling poorly in Illinois and our governor, Bruce Rauner, is polling worse than that.
Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan? Worse still.
And so Jeanne Ives, who is running against Rauner in the primary just launched a new ad using guess who as an attack tool? Barack Obama.
“Bruce Rauner lies so much, he reminds us of another Chicago politician.
President Obama: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period.
Republicans are sick of Rauner’s lies.”
* Rauner campaign…
ICYMI: Governor Rauner Discusses Fight for Illinois’ Future on Fox & Friends
Governor Rauner joined Brian Kilmeade on Fox and Friends to discuss the future of Illinois and the fight against the entrenched political machine in this state.
Watch the full interview HERE and check out some highlights below.
Governor Bruce Rauner: “Illinois has been dominated by a corrupt career politician for decades and I just decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m not a politician, I’m a business-builder, but I said I’ll never run away from the state of Illinois. I grew up here, I raised my six kids here. I want to take on the corruption, the career politicians and restore good government in our state again. That’s why I’m fighting so hard.”
* Gov. Rauner spoke at Sunday’s Effingham County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner and told the party faithful about how he envisions the fall campaign…
You guys know I went to war to get term limits. Nobody should stay in office more than about 8 years. That’s plenty of time. George Washington could’ve been king, and he only served for 8 years because he knew America should be a place for freedom and you should be a public servant and then leave. … We collected half a million signatures to get term limits on the ballot. Madigan sued me and he blocked it in the state courts, with the judges that he elects. …. But I never give up and I never give in.
We are now going to run a pledge campaign. Pledge campaign. We’re going to ask every candidate in the General Assembly statewide to sign a pledge, sign a promise to you as the people of Illinois. And that pledge says two things. Number one: “I promise you that I will vote to put term limits on the ballot so the people of Illinois can vote term limits up or down.” And number two: “I promise you that I will vote for somebody, anybody other than Mike Madigan for speaker after 35 years.”
And when the Democrats refuse to sign that pledge, we’re gonna use it against them and we’re gonna prove that they’re really working for Madigan and the machine, rather than the people of central Illinois and the people of southern Illinois. And we’re going to beat them and that’s how we are going to pick up nine seats in the General Assembly this year. This is an exciting time.
Now, look, this election cycle is going to be tough. A new president’s party has a hard time in the midterms. That’s just true, even look back 50 years. It doesn’t matter whether D or R.
But you know why we’re going to win and why I’m all-in to win? No state has a guy as corrosive and as corrupt and as destructive as Mike Madigan. And we are going to hang every candidate on the Democratic ticket with Mike Madigan around their neck and we’re going to take them down. And we’re going to beat ‘em. The people of Illinois want Madigan gone almost as much as Republicans do.
It was last year, I was shopping at a store in Springfield and an elderly woman came up to me. Slowly, she couldn’t move very, very fast. She was, she was up there in years. She slowly came up to me in the store and she grabbed me by the by the [inaudible], both hands on my left arm. And then she looked up at me. And then she started to tear up. She started to cry a little bit and I said ‘Goodness, what happened, what’s wrong here? Are you hurt? Can I, how can I help you?’ And she said, she said, ‘Governor, you’re our last hope. Don’t give up.’ And I teared up, and I gave her a hug. And I said, ‘I will never give up and it’s an honor for me to work for you.’
We will never give in. We are going to make Illinois great again. Great, proud strong state. The greatest state in the greatest nation on Earth. On to victory in November for Republicans!
You know, I had a woman, an elderly woman, come up to me last month. She couldn’t move very well, but she came up, she grabbed me by the arm. She looked me in the eyes. She teared up, and she said, “Governor, you’re our last hope. Don’t give up,” and she said, “And I’m a Democrat, and many of my friends are Democrats. We know you’re doing the right thing.” I get that every day.
Every day he gets that. Every. Day.
…Adding… Pritzker campaign…
With Donald Trump polling ahead of Bruce Rauner in Illinois, the failed governor is borrowing the president’s slogan to keep Republicans from fleeing to his primary opponent Jeanne Ives as election day nears.
“We are going to make Illinois great again,” Rauner proudly declared at an Effingham County Republican dinner yesterday where Ives was present. While Rauner has long been afraid to utter Donald Trump’s name, his insurgent primary opponent’s campaign has left him with no choice but to cozy up to this bigoted president.
“Bruce Rauner is embracing Donald Trump as he desperately clings to the Republican nomination with Jeanne Ives nipping at his heels,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This is a failed governor, fending off challenges left and right as Illinoisans prepare to hold him accountable for his damage to this state.”
