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One primary does not a Democrat make

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Illinois

* Taken alone, this is not a big deal. How many decades did Ronald Reagan register as a Democrat before switching to the GOP, for instance?

Tom Kacich reports…

Although he voted in Republican primaries at other times, [Republican GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner] took a Democratic ballot in the 2006 primary election.

As Kacich reports, Rauner took the Democratic ballot to vote for Forrest Claypool, who was running against John Stroger for county board president. Claypool was, and is, a darling of the Chicago monied elite. They also backed his doomed independent campaign against Joe Berrios for county assessor.

So, again, this ain’t a big dealio taken by itself. Lots of bigtime, GOP-leaning money bags took “D” ballots in ‘06 to back Claypool.

* The problem becomes when you add it to Rauner’s coziness with Rahm Emanuel and his campaign contributions to other Democrats.

In the general election, that’s not a real issue (except for the pay to play allegations regarding Gov. Rendell). But in a primary, GOP voters (and Democrats, for that matter) tend to prefer purity.

* So, taken as a whole, this is just one more bit of “evidence” that can be used to paint Rauner as a “closet Democrat” - if, that is, anybody finally raises the money to go after the guy.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 11:45 am

Comments

“Actually, when I think about it, voting for Forrest Claypool, I think that is almost like voting for a Republican, when I look at Claypool’s record …”

===- if, that is, anybody finally raises the money to go after the guy.===

Well, there is THAT…

I don’t dismiss that one bit, and in fact, agree with it as I point out the two dollar primary quandry.

However,

Brady tried … miserably… to add Payton Prep Clouter Bruce Rauner’s issues to the Narrative, however, doing it correctly, in context, and as part of the positives a candidate brings to the race over Rauner, that is the correct way. Brady tried doing it the “Right” way, which is the WRONG way.

Practice Bill Brady. Impliment, Kirk Dillard and Dan Rutherford …

and raise … some …CASH.

…please.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 11:51 am
“Rauner took the Democratic ballot to vote for Forrest Claypool, who was running against John Stroger for county board president.”

There have been several times that I have pulled ballots of the opposing party just so I could say that I voted against somebody twice in one election.

This is nothing.

Comment by Huh? Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:07 pm
Meh, it’s a free country. But I can see how the True Believers might get honked.

Rauner isn’t a Democrat or a Republican. He’s an opportunist.

He gave big money to Dems when it served his interests. He gave big money to Republicans when it served his interests.

Now, he see’s a path to the Big Chair through the GOP. If he thought he had a better opportunity through the Dem Party, he would have taken that route.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:12 pm
Let’s face it. Whoever won the Democratic primary for County Board President was going to win the general election. So if you wanted any say in that race, you had to pull a Democratic primary ballot.

Same holds true if you’re a Democrat in a Republican-dominated county or city.

It’s also true that Rahm Emanuel, like Richie before him, is pretty much a DINO, a lot more at home with the plutocrat branch of the GOP than they are with Democrats.

Comment by Joan P. Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:24 pm
Rauschenberger took a Dem ballot to vote for a relative too. People tend to think of this a little differently. Make no mistake, Rauner is the least GOP of the quartet. Rahm, like RMD, is becoming less partisan, which a lot of big city mayors do. For fiscal conservatives, Rauner is saying things out loud that the others aren’t. If they don’t want him to take away that crowd, they better start chatting up those economic themes. He’s getting less squishy as the race moves along. He’s not my guy, I am totally turned off by the clouting thing, which goes to his character in my book. But I sure would like to hear some of the things that come out of him coming out of at least one of the other guys.

Comment by A guy... Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:26 pm
DINOs and RINOs do not exist.

Politcal parties are not a religion.

Political parties are not based on absolutes in America.

Political parties encourage diversity in the ranks, when political parties are at their BEST.

If you find yourself … Republican, Democrat … using DINO or RINO because someone that shares your party affiliation does not agree with you 100% of the time, YOU are the one needing to re-think things.

As for Payton Prep Clouter Bruce Rauner…

His life, lifestyle, clouting of his Daughter, monetary donations, business dealing and quotes about his business dealing …

They do not… they do NOT make him a RINO … they make Bruce Rauner a hypocrite of a person portraying himself one way, and living every aspect of his life another way.

DOPES!

“Next time domeone posts RINO or DINO as a real term, a $1 in the jar for charity” … lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:32 pm
I still think the biggest weakness he has is not his record or his money, it’s his personality.

Comment by siriusly Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:36 pm
===DINOs and RINOs do not exist===

Maybe, but it sure seems like a GINOs are real — both of them.

Comment by Hans Sanity Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:48 pm
So he’s pro-choice. He won’t take a position on marriage equality. He has donated a small fortune to Democrats. And he registered as a D for two years within the last decade. At least it raises a reasonable doubt when he claims to be a true-blue R.

Comment by reformer Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:48 pm
GINO????

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:51 pm
GINO –

Dude who I went to high school with….

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:58 pm
The purity of essence guys were never going to be with Rauner anyway so not sure how much this hurts him.

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 12:58 pm
non issue

Comment by skeptical spectacle Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:00 pm
Rauner isn’t going to be successful by appealing to traditional party loyalties on either side.

He is a successful candidate if he comes across as a disrupter of the status quo, generally.

If anything it widens his appeal.

Question remains if he has the force of personality to and can maintain his passion and convictions through a long brutal election process.

Most highly intelligent people look at the electoral process in the state of illinios, and despite strong convictions about how to go about solving problems, etc. eventually bow out because they don’t think the personal cost is worth it.

What will rauner do?

Comment by skeptical spectacle Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:06 pm
===GINO????====

Grand (Old Party) In Name Only…

If someone came up with DINO & RINO, let’s go all the way!

Comment by Hans Sanity Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:07 pm
I thought the interesting thing about the article was that Kacich, a generally good reporter, called Rauner the “frontrunner”.

Comment by LincolnLounger Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:08 pm
How about DOPE-O…

As in, “How Dopey am I, I used RINO or DINO ina sentence?”

If it ain’t helping, it’s hurting.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:10 pm
I’d hoped GINO was “Green In Name Only”.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:10 pm
It’s a one party county. A one party city. If you want to get something done you gotta accept that reality. Which means a republican may have to support a democrat.

Meh.

Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:11 pm
I’d hoped GINO was “Green In Name Only”.====

Give it time.

Comment by Hans Sanity Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:12 pm
Rauner’s running as an “outsider”. Whether people think he’s a Democrat or Republican not as an important as he’s not a politican. That’s his strength. Whether he’s a RHINO or whatever only of concern to a small bunch… a small bunch even in a GOP primary.

Comment by Bill_Baar Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:44 pm
It should not be an issue, but in Republican primary contests there is always some critic who will make an issue of a person not voting consistently in Republican primaries being a covert “Democrat.”

The sorry reality is that in many Cook County precincts and districts, including many in Chicago, pulling a Republican primary ballot is merely an exercise that is much ado about nothing. In many state and local contests, there are no candidates filed or single candidates in each slot running uncontested.

Many Republicans choose to vote in the Democrat primary in order to have a meaningful vote. Sometimes, there votes are negative ones meant to clear the field for a weaker D nominee in November.

Comment by Esquire Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:48 pm
I vote we ban the terms: RINO,DINO,GINO AND meh.

Comment by A guy... Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 1:51 pm
Democrats are smart enough only have the litmus test on one subject (for the most part). Republicans have about 30 litmus tests.

Rauner was a businessman.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 2:42 pm
The 2006 Democrat choice for voting WON’T help Brucie, in my opinion, at least with a good number your rather significant number of “dyed-in-the-wool” Republicans when it comes to picking 1 of the 4 next March.

There is always a price to pay for such actions which some would perceive to be disloyalty–and the NUMber of GOP VOters in that “some” Category, in what very well COULD once again like 2010 be a tight squeaker of a race, could just be ENOUGH votes to cost BR the nomination…!

In any event, I doubt that this questionable choice on his part, at the very least, HELPS his cause in this Primary…!

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 8:38 pm
Just above, that was meant to read “…at least with a good number OF your…”!

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Wednesday, Sep 18, 13 @ 8:40 pm