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*** UPDATED x1 - Meeks explains his silence *** Meeks goes silent as SB 1 fight cranks up

Friday, Jul 21, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller

James Meeks, the pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago, ran for the Illinois Senate as an independent in 2002 and won. Afterward, he made school funding reform his priority.

He told anyone who would listen that the school funding formula was a disaster and proposed an income tax increase and property tax swap. When his bill couldn’t get out of committee, he launched a series of protest marches, taking Chicago school children to New Trier High School in Winnetka to emphasize the disparities in school funding.

Working with Republicans and Democrats, Meeks eventually got a very complicated tax bill passed out of the Senate that would have raised $5.2 billion in new revenue, with much of that money — more than $2 billion — going to education.

House Speaker Michael Madigan killed the bill, enraging Meeks, who after leaving office endorsed Bruce Rauner, a Republican, for governor.

Rauner named Meeks to the state board of education, where he serves as chairman.

You may be aware that a bill has passed the state Legislature altering the school funding formula. It does not send billions of new dollars to education. It is, however, aimed at sending what meager new revenues there are to poorer school districts.

Rauner has vowed to veto the measure, claiming it includes a bailout for the Chicago Public Schools pension system.

I tried to reach Meeks this week to see what he has to say about all of this. I was told by the state board’s communications director that Meeks is not doing any interviews on this topic.

So the guy who was once the outspoken champion of school children is now silent.

I was thinking about calling Meeks today. Maybe I still will. He needs to speak his mind about this topic.

*** UPDATE *** Chairman Meeks just called me. He pointed out that one of the quickest ways to undermine an attempt to mediate a fight is to start talking to the press.

In a situation like this, with hate and mistrust at epic levels, Meeks said, “Anything that you say they think you’re on the other guy’s side.” From my own experience dealing with these guys, I couldn’t agree more. Right now, he’s able to talk to everyone, but that role would end pretty quickly if he started expressing his opinions.

So, Meeks says he’s not talking to anyone in the media until this battle is over. “I wouldn’t do an interview for the Jesus Gazette,” Meeks said.

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Rauner professes ignorance, shifts blame for one-day body man to staff

Friday, Jul 21, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller

* WSIL TV…

One of his recent hires didn’t last a full day, after homophobic and racially-charged tweets surfaced.

Ben Tracy was hired to be Rauner’s body man, which is the assistant who travels almost everywhere with the governor. […]

“We have zero tolerance for any, any behavior that’s just fundamentally inappropriate,” said Rauner.

Although Tracy’s firing has been widely reported, Rauner appeared uncertain of the staffer’s position within his office when asked about it on Thursday.

“I don’t know (his) exact role or title. You know, we’re obviously adding people all the time,” said Rauner. […]

Rauner said he has a team of people who making hiring decisions.

“In that particular case, I don’t know. There are probably a dozen people who are involved in hiring,” said Rauner.

He didn’t know his own body man’s role? He’s only had a body man since the campaign. Perhaps he just doesn’t want to admit that he has a taxpayer-financed valet. And, by the way, there’s nothing wrong with having a body man. They play an important role.

Also, reporters have claimed, including myself, that sources have said Rauner interviewed Tracy. A governor who doesn’t interview his own potential body man is a pretty darned stupid governor. After all, a governor will be with the guy (or woman) hours and hours every day, sometimes seven days a week. So, I find that claim truly difficult to believe.

Also, great move throwing the new staff under the bus on this topic. Same as it ever was. Nothing is ever this man’s fault.

…Adding… As noted by a commenter, the governor said this not long ago…

“On things that we can control, I would give us an A.”

Apparently, that grade is no longer correct, unless Speaker Madigan somehow exerted control over hiring Rauner’s personal aide.

…Adding More… Let’s look at this aspect of the interview…

Rauner then described how he learned about the staffer’s social media postings.

“I heard something about it. I don’t know, but I heard somebody came in, they found some old behavior that was completely unacceptable. They terminated him immediately, which is the appropriate thing to do,” said Rauner.

Um, dude, weren’t you in the car with him when the story broke?

*** UPDATE *** From the interview at the 1:59 mark…

REPORTER: But weren’t you involved in interviewing him?

RAUNER: Interviewing?

REPORTER: When he was hired?

RAUNER: No. I met him once.

This guy.

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*** UPDATED x1 *** “Nazi” abortion story to kick back up

Friday, Jul 21, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller

* JB Pritzker is holding a press conference late this morning to talk about HB 40 and “Bruce Rauner’s failure to fight for Illinois women.” He’ll be joined by Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, Sen. Heather Steans, Ald. Pat Dowell and others. I’m told the event will include a denouncement of Rauner’s new communications staffer Brittany Carl, who compared abortion to Nazi eugenics.

* Meanwhile, this was posted the other day but I didn’t see it until yesterday…

Statement from Jennifer Welch, CEO Planned Parenthood of Illinois, responding to @GovRauner's new hire. #twill pic.twitter.com/DLPLD9ugyB

— Planned Parenthood (@PPIAction) July 19, 2017

* Also…

"in just one week - Rauner’s newly minted right-wing staff managed to insult Jews, women, the LGBTQ community and people of color." #Twill https://t.co/HojJFDebyB

— Kyle Hillman (@kylehillman) July 21, 2017

* But this is from Dan Proft’s Chicago City Wire…

Governor Bruce Rauner should be lauded for hiring “intelligent, diverse, and well-rounded” staff, says Illinois Right-to-Life Executive Director Emily Troscinski.

Troscinski’s comments come amidst demands by Rauner critics that he only hire staff who support abortion rights.

Rauner, who is pro-choice, has nonetheless employed both pro-choice and pro-life staff members since assuming the job of governor in Jan. 2015.

“Democrats and self-proclaimed ‘women’s rights’ groups seem more obsessed with having the government only hire employees that agree with their radical abortion litmus test, rather than hiring those best qualified for the job,” she told Chicago City Wire.

“Our state is on the verge of financial collapse and pro-abortion Democrats are standing knee deep in dredging up abortion quotes rather than fixing our state’s current financial crisis.”

Troscinski is referring to news stories published by media hostile to Rauner attacking a newly-hired communications staff member who criticized people using abortion to “rid the world of disabled and other ‘unwanted’ persons.”

The comment was made in an April blog post.

Reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times and Politico published stories suggesting Rauner should fire the staff member.

Trocinski called the stories “fabricated outrage.”

“This discriminatory smear campaign by pro-abortion democrats sends quite a clear message to Illinoisans: if you’re a successful pro-life woman, you’re not welcome in public service,” Troscinski said.

*** UPDATE *** Pritzker campaign…

Today, JB Pritzker stood with HB 40 sponsors Representative Sara Feigenholtz and Senator Heather Steans, Alderman Pat Dowell, and Illinois women at a press conference at the Chicago Cultural Center to highlight the need for a governor who stands with them in the fight to protect women’s healthcare. JB also announced a postcard campaign, encouraging women from across the state to hold Rauner accountable for his promise to sign HB 40.

Despite campaigning on protecting women’s healthcare, Bruce Rauner has threatened to veto HB 40, critical legislation to protect and expand the right to choose in Illinois. In a further sign of his hard-right turn on reproductive healthcare, a new Rauner hire compared a woman’s right to choose to Nazi eugenics. Instead of condemning this statement, Rauner remained silent.

“I’m running for governor as a proud feminist,” said JB Pritzker. “For over twenty years, I’ve marched for women’s rights and for the right of women to access healthcare. From marching in Washington with NARAL 25 years ago, all the way to the march in Springfield alongside Alderman Dowell this April.

“In the last week, Bruce Rauner has made it clear that he has fully committed to heading down the same path of bigotry and hatred that Donald Trump paved for him. He brought a staffer into the governor’s office who compared the right to choose to Nazi eugenics. As a feminist, as a Jew, and just as a human being I am appalled.

“Today, I stood with Illinois leaders to talk about how we resist Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump and their attacks on women’s rights. We also signed postcards demanding that Rauner sign HB 40 into law. It won’t be long until he starts receiving thousands of them from women across the state. But we won’t stop there. This fight is too important. The stakes are too high. I look forward to standing with women across Illinois as we continue to resist and fight for what’s right.”

…Adding… Pritzker’s people are claiming a turnout of over 350…

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