* Says the guy who once sent a pollster a dead fish…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday accused Gov. Bruce Rauner of “governing through anger” and predicted that Republicans and Democrats alike would chose “loyalty to kids over loyalty to the governor” by overriding Rauner’s veto of a school funding bill.
One day after Rauner followed through on his threat to veto the bill, Emanuel accused his old friend of making a “fundamental mistake” and blowing a “historic opportunity” to rewrite a formula that “fundamentally harms poor kids and kids of color.”
“Re-writing the school formula was a product of the governor’s commission, which is why the governor agrees with 90 percent of it. You can’t then just want to veto it because of a pique of anger,” the mayor told reporters.
“There’s only one way to explain what the governor did. Vetoing a bill that he agrees with 90 percent that almost every school superintendent across the state and almost every paper across the state….agree that he should sign. He is governing through anger.”
But, this does further the theme, pounded home by Senate President Cullerton, that the governor may have some anger issues. And videos like this certainly don’t help…
Chris Kennedy spoke at the Mom+Baby governors candidate meet and greet yesterday. I didn’t see anything on his Twitter page about it, but I’m told about 30 moms and 10 kids had to wait at least half an hour for him to arrive. And it went downhill from there.
* Well, Mark Maxwell at WCIA TV interviewed some of those moms the other day…
“We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.” A group of moms is setting out to change the political landscape in Illinois. We met them this week on Capitol Connection.
* In case you can’t watch video where you work, here’s a transcript of one of the moms describing the Kennedy meet and greet…
REPORTER: Rebecca Abraham is backing state Sen. Daniel Biss for governor after a meeting with Chris Kennedy left her with a bad impression.
REBECCA: And then he was very defensive when corrected. So it was kind of disrespectful that he wasn’t prepared and I wonder if he had met with a group of men who also were an activist group, I bet he would’ve came a lot more prepared. But because we’re called Mom + Baby and we’re a bunch of women with our children, he blew us off. So I don’t think he would’ve had the same behavior with a group of men.
Ouch.
* Meanwhile…
Chris Kennedy will attend the first annual Kankakee County John F. Kennedy Dinner as the keynote speaker. In his remarks, Kennedy will address his personal history of public service, his family’s legacy and his vision for the future of our state.
* Background is here. From the Illinois Republican Party…
“J.B. Pritzker’s new television ad is a deceptive attempt to cover up his family’s history of attacking the labor movement. Pritzker personally profits by exploiting union labor - just listen to what union protesters have to say about the billionaire family. Just like Mike Madigan, J.B. Pritzker is a politician with zero credibility who says one thing and does another.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
In response to J.B. Pritzker’s new television ad lauding his insider endorsement of Madigan-backed labor groups, the Illinois Republican Party today released a digital video highlighting Pritzker’s true record on labor.
Pretty well done. The quote from the IFT’s leader is particularly impressive…
I want to thank the Pritzker family for uniting us all here today. It’s not enough for them to go after the workers in their hotels, they have to go after teachers.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the IFT’s Dan Montgomery, who is featured in the above video…
“IFT members know that the Illinois Republican Party has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bruce Rauner, who has been leading the charge to rob workers and deny them a voice in the workplace. This six-year-old video clip is an attempt to distract attention from the Governor’s abysmal record and unpopular political demands that nearly drove Illinois off a fiscal cliff had members of his own party not stepped up to do the right thing. Rauner should focus less on campaigning and more on doing his job.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez…
“It’s clear that Bruce Rauner is leading the Illinois GOP and this attack on JB. For Rauner to pursue this line of attack after we’ve seen the way he treats public-sector workers across Illinois is hypocritical and laughable. He and his special-interest friends have tried to destroy our state’s labor movement and the public services that so many residents of Illinois rely on every day. Everything we care about is under assault by Bruce Rauner. There is no greater priority for us than defeating him in November and sending a leader like JB Pritzker to Springfield.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan…
“If it wasn’t so pathetic, it would be laughable that the Illinois Republicans levy an attack concerning union member and worker rights. Many Republican Party politicians in Illinois have followed blindly down Bruce Rauner’s path of destruction. His refusal to compromise on a budget hurt so many – all driven by his obsession to subvert wages, destroy unions and weaken protections for middle class Illinois families. If the Republican Party would like to take a stand with unions and working families of this state, they should start by standing up to their leader and chief benefactor.”
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* And the accompanying oppo dump…
During the recession, the Pritzker family faced mass protests from its workers over mistreatment and attempts to prevent unionization.
As Crain’s Chicago Business notes, “Hyatt fought efforts by Unite Here union to organize and secure raises for Hyatt workers.”
In one infamous incident, the Pritzkers turned heat lamps on picketing workers during a heat wave.
J.B. Pritzker personally profits from the family business, owning nearly 2% of Hyatt and acting as a key member of the majority voting block that controls the company. One of Pritzker’s cousins chairs the board of directors.
Pritzker even agreed to align his share’s vote with his cousins’, making him a critical part of their voting block and an enabler to all of their controversial decisions regarding employee mistreatment.
Pritzker even bragged about his role in Hyatt on his website – describing himself as a “principal owner”.
JB Pritzker Has Enabled And Supported Hyatt’s Management
JB Pritzker Currently Controls 1.9% Of The Total Voting Power For Hyatt Hotels Corporation. (Form SC 13D, Charles E. Dobrusin, SEC Accession No. 0001144204-17-001664, 1/10/2017)
When The Pritzkers Took Hyatt Public, The Family Controlled 80 Percent Of The Class B Shares, Which Have 10 Times The Voting Power Of Class A Shares. “Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced recently that the shares will be priced at $23 to $26. The offering is structured so the Pritzker family would own 80 percent of Hyatt’s Class B common stock, each share of which has 10 times the voting power of a Class A common share. The company’s initial public offering of 38 million Class A shares would raise between $874 million and $988 million.” (Julie Wernau, “Hyatt IPO Plan Draws Fire,” Chicago Tribune, 10/29/2009)
This “Super-Voting” Stock Allowed The Pritzkers To Maintain Control Over Hyatt Even If Their Ownership Of The Company’s Outstanding Shares Fell Below 50%. “Hyatt Hotels Corp. is likely to see “outsized profit growth” over the next decade, but the Pritzker family’s tightfisted control over the underachieving hotel chain should make investors wary of its initial public offering, a prominent real estate stock research firm said Wednesday. The proposed IPO could raise about $1 billion for Chicago-based Hyatt, the crown jewel of the billionaire family. Pritzker family trusts plan to sell 38 million shares for as much as $26 apiece, according to a filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. But the family plans to retain its grip on the company through so-called “super-voting” stock, which would allow the Pritzkers to outvote other common shareholders even if the family’s stake falls to nearly 15%.” (Thomas Corfman, “Hyatt’s Corporate Structure Criticized In Report,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 10/29/2009)
JB Pritzker Agreed To Vote His Super Shares In Line With The Recommendations Of Hyatt’s Board Of Directors. “Until the later to occur of (i) January 1, 2015 and (ii) that date upon which more than 75% of the FD Stock is owned by Persons other than Pritzkers and Foreign Pritzkers, all Pritzkers (and their successors in interest, if applicable), but not the transferees by sale (other than Pritzkers or Foreign Pritzkers who purchase directly from other Pritzkers or Foreign Pritzkers) or by, or following, foreclosures as aforesaid, will vote all of their voting securities of Hyatt (and successor Companies) consistent with the recommendations of the board of directors of Hyatt with respect to all matters (assuming agreement as to any such matter by a majority of a minimum of three Independent directors or, in the case of transactions involving Hyatt and an Affiliate thereof, assuming agreement of all of such minimum of three Independent directors). All Pritzkers will cast and submit by proxy to Hyatt their votes in a manner consistent with this Section 3.1(c) at least five business days prior to the scheduled date of the Annual or Special Meeting of stockholders of Hyatt, as applicable.” (“Amended and Restated Global Hyatt Agreement,” Hyatt Hotels Corporation, 10/1/2009)
JB Pritzker’s Cousin, Thomas J. Pritzker, Is The Executive Chairman Of Hyatt’s Board Of Directors. (Board of Directors, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Accessed 1/17/2017)
Jason Pritzker, Thomas Pritzker’s Son, Is Also On Hyatt’s Board Of Directors. (Board of Directors, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Accessed 1/17/2017)
Penny Pritzker, JB Pritzker’s Sister, Served On Hyatt’s Board Of Directors Until She Was Appointed Commerce Secretary In 2013. “Chicago billionaire Penny Pritzker intends to resign from corporate boards, including that of Hyatt Hotels Corp., and reported that she received nearly $54 million in consulting fees last year from an offshore Bahamian trust, the Commerce Department secretary nominee said in documents released Wednesday.” (Melissa Harris and Katherine Skiba, “Pritzker Opens The Books On Finances,” Chicago Tribune, 5/16/2013)
* Before it quietly updated with a new story, the Illinois Policy Institute, like Gov. Rauner, was claiming a vote to accept Rauner’s SB1 amendatory veto only required a simple majority…
* Now, let’s look again at the brutal video of Gov. Rauner being informed that it’ll require a three-fifths majority to accept his amendatory veto and not the simple majority that Rauner claimed…
Watch how the governor physically leans into his answer. People often do that when they’re trying to emphasize a point.
Transcript…
REPORTER: What makes you think that three-fifths of the House and three-fifths of the Senate will agree on any particular thing here?
RAUNER: Well, upholding — Dave, it’s a great question — upholding my, uh, amendatory veto and passing it in concurrence requires a simple majority. Upholding my amendatory veto, supporting the changes I’ve recommended just, just…
REPORTER: Democrats say otherwise because of the immediate effect, because it needs to take effect immediately.
RAUNER: So, okay, so, upholding it can be a simple majority
“Great question,” he says, as if he’s actually been prepared for this very query. And then he says twice that it only requires a simple majority and tries to say it yet another time, but is cut off by a pesky reporter with an annoying fact.
* So, why is this important? Well, because it would’ve been a really good message: Hey, it just takes a simple majority to accept my changes while it will take a three-fifths super-majority to override my AV, so let’s just accept it and move on. Easy peasy.
Indeed, Rep. Avery Bourne, a close Rauner ally and one of just eight education funding reform negotiators, used that very same messaging on Facebook recently…
* And the Champaign News-Gazette, which has been a staunch Rauner supporter, published this editorial on July 27th…
Rauner wants the bill now so he can use his amendatory veto power to excise the Chicago-friendly provisions.
Then the General Assembly has three options
It can do nothing, effectively killing the bill. It can override the veto by a three-fifths majority of each chamber. Or it can agree with the recommendations made by the governor by a simple majority vote in each of the chambers.
Gov. Rauner is hoping his planned action will be sustained in the Legislature, most particularly the House, where Speaker Madigan lost his super-majority in the last election. Madigan will be looking for four Republicans he can buy off to be able to overturn Rauner’s amendatory veto, the tactic he used to pass his version of the state budget/tax hike plan over the governor’s veto.
It sure looks to me as if the Best Team in America™ had a plan in place, but it was based on an erroneous assumption.
* Back to the press conference transcript…
REPORTER: Wouldn’t that be something though that your staff would have found out before you did this? Are you concerned at all that there’s a big difference between a simple majority and three-fifths and this could all blow up?
So, it may not just be a foiled messaging plan, it could also be a foiled legislative strategy that could do real harm.
* Perhaps the governor should’ve taken a meeting with Senate President John Cullerton before issuing his veto. Cullerton wanted to explain what the veto would mean, but Rauner called that suggestion “outrageous”. And the Chicago Tribune editorial board slammed Cullerton’s request for talks as an unconscionable delay tactic…
Today, the JB Pritzker for Governor campaign released a new TV ad, “Enough.” The ad features working Illinoisans who are passionate about electing JB Pritzker and defeating Bruce Rauner next fall.
“Enough” highlights union members discussing Bruce Rauner’s attacks on working families and JB’s commitment to fighting for them in Springfield. The ad comes as labor support for JB continues to grow across the state, with recent endorsements coming from Illinois Painters District Councils, United Steelworkers, and the Illinois AFL-CIO. In total, JB has been endorsed by 17 individual unions so far.
“Working families across this state are ready for a real leader who fights for them in Springfield and that’s exactly what I’ll do as governor,” said JB Pritzker. “Together, we will defeat Bruce Rauner and end his attacks on the labor movement and working families. When I’m governor, the labor movement will once again have a seat at the table as we grow the economy, create jobs, and protect the rights that help workers thrive. I am grateful to have support from the labor movement across the state and I will always stand with working families as governor.”
JB will stand up for working families. And he’s focused on creating jobs.
JB’s the one we trust to beat Bruce Rauner.
To beat Bruce Rauner.
To get Illinois — to get Illinois back on track.
…Adding… Some of y’all in comments are a bit unclear on the concept. This is a TV ad for a Democratic primary. And unions are more popular overall than some of you realize. From a, October, 2016 Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll…
Among the 1,000 Illinois registered voters surveyed, more than half (57 percent) say they have at least a somewhat favorable view of labor unions, more than 20 points ahead of the 36 percent who have an unfavorable view. […]
Self-described liberals (75 percent), Democrats (73 percent), and members of union households (75 percent) were most likely to have favorable views of unions. Only among conservatives and Republicans (37 percent each group) did fewer than half hold a favorable view.
Historically marginalized groups tend to desire that unions have more influence than they do today. Notably, 49 percent of African Americans want unions to have more influence compared to only 26 percent of whites.
Similarly, 40 percent of people with household incomes below $50,000 would like to see unions have more influence compared to only 24 percent of those with incomes over $100,000.
