Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: *** UPDATED x1 *** Rate the new Bill Enyart TV ad
Next Post: Adventures in lousy governance
Posted in:
* Mark Brown…
Cue your best Rod Serling imitation.
“Imagine, if you will, a world in which Republican plutocrat Bruce Rauner is governor of Illinois and lefty teachers union President Karen Lewis is mayor of Chicago.
“Have have just entered the Twilight Zone or what?
“Doo-dee, doo-doo. Doo-dee, doo-doo.”
What might have seemed completely far-fetched a year ago is now a more than possible outcome, if you believe the latest public opinion polling from both major newspapers installing Rauner and Lewis as frontrunners in their respective races.
* The Question: Imagine, if you will, a world in which Republican plutocrat Bruce Rauner is governor of Illinois and lefty teachers union President Karen Lewis is mayor of Chicago?
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:43 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: *** UPDATED x1 *** Rate the new Bill Enyart TV ad
Next Post: Adventures in lousy governance
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
The state sinks and the city rises a little bit.
Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:48 pm
“Imagine, if you will, a world in which Republican plutocrat Bruce Rauner is governor of Illinois and lefty teachers union President Karen Lewis is mayor of Chicago?”
http://youtu.be/VmW-ScmGRMA
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:49 pm
Awesome. Put it on pay-per-view and solve the pension crisis!
Comment by the Other Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:49 pm
“You are about to enter another dimension…a dimension not only of tall but short….a dimension of venture capitalism and union activism…in a state where all things are possible but nothing ever seems to get done…you are now entering The Twilight Zone.
Comment by Stones Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:50 pm
. . . a world where the Governor and the Mayor of Chicago can sit down and discuss the difficulties of owning multiple vacation properties.
Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:54 pm
The State stabilizes and the City becomes a gated community/island in Lake Michigan. Toll bridges and Metra passes.
Entry/exit visa’s required.
Comment by Judgment Day Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:55 pm
The city still won’t get its own casino.
Lewis will have to deal with the likes of Ed Burke and Pat O’Connor. Rauner will be dealing with Madigan and Cullerton.
Or as Admiral Stockdale once said, GRIDLOCK!
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 12:58 pm
Imagine a world where the Governor confides that every move is blocked by partisan elected officials, and where the Mayor confides that every move is blocked by non-partisan elected officials.
Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:01 pm
What fun; a journalist’s dream!
Comment by Keyser Soze Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:01 pm
I guess they could reminisce about attending Dartmouth in the 1970s (they missed overlapping there by one class year).
I’m not sure what else they could have a productive conversation concerning.
Comment by ZC Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:02 pm
It would be loud, but governor always trumps mayor. Hard to get much done in Springfield without that governor’s signature.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:04 pm
I would give just about anything to be in the room with Mayor Lewis’ lobbyist and Governor Rauner’s LLs.
Man, that would be fun stuff seeing, watching, interpreting…then both Crews guessing on Cullerton and Madigan.
To the Question,
Rauner’s Crew would be the safe haven for Chicago businesses looking for breaks, or reasons to stay in Illinois, after telling the Guv’s Crew they are leaving Chicago.
Lewis’ Crew would be about neighborhood and neighbors, and corporate neighbors understanding the free meal is over, and Chicago in of itself is reason to be in the City. Police, Fire, even Teacher contracts will be examined, and the budget if the City will be touted as “An investment in people and the people who make Chicago work” instead of infrastructure, new or even updated.
They both will “rule” by press releases and misunderstandings of those releases, as they both backtrack, in the back channels, to those they alienate, yet need, to stay above water.
They will be the foil the other needs in their narratives, and both will get played, willingly, by Cullerton and MJM, to get what they want, and deny the other what they want.
The “Chicago Caucus” will need to decide pretty quick - Mayor Lewis, or the President/Speaker.
Who will be either’s Floor Leaders, and be seen as the bridge necessary to work with Cullerton or Madigan?
Rauner will face his own rhetoric in the GOP Caucuses, as vote after disheartening vote is cast, and the Tom Hagen style, with threats and funding scares leave Rauner scrambling. The Speaker specifically will be an unwilling dance partner, except to keep Mayor Lewis in a corner he and Cullerton want.
Both will be in court often. The administrations’ “radical” styles will face the law as the judge, not the voters to judge successes.
They will mirror each other in their contempt in the system as they try in one breath to change it, and in the next breath try to dismantle it.
The pension crisis will be more about the Constitutionality and bickering than solving anything, and posturing and mocking, than communicating and resolving.
Then they can go to Dartmouth to speak to the undergrads and say how bad the “other Alum” is doing…
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:04 pm
Imagine a world where we look back to when Blagojevich was Gov. and Daley was Mayor and all collectively think “Those were the good old days.”
Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:05 pm
MrJM wins
Comment by Chi Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:05 pm
Actually, it would be more likely to see the emerging theory of development ’shapes’ happening in practice.
Think of the ‘Research Triangle’ in the Carolina’s.
With the potential onset of fracking downstate, plus water shortages affecting Agriculture in the SouthWest, that spells opportunity for not only Central/Southern Illinois, but other areas of the State.
We need to start looking at economic development differently here in Illinois. Recognize we can’t compete with other states to ‘buy’ business development because of our existing financial situation, so develop an asymmetrical approach to business development here in Illinois.
So let’s take a different approach.
Comment by Judgment Day Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:05 pm
Both are graduates of Dartmouth and have multiple residences!
Comment by Nearly Normal Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:05 pm
The subtitle for the story: What happens when the corrupter meets the corruptible?
Comment by FED UP Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:06 pm
Imagine a world where Cap Fax becomes must reading for the entire state and Rich decides to hire staff to provide home delievry to insure the Cap Fax is on everyone’s porch first thing in the morning.
Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:21 pm
Teacher unions in Charter schools…
Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:22 pm
Linking Rahm to Rauner should be a big part of Karen’s campaign message. If she would run with that she would play a big part in defeating Rauner in November and improve her chances of taking out out Rahm in February.
Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:31 pm
Governor Rauner announced a public referendum as to the advisability of deannexing portions of the City of Chicago from the State of Illinois and declaring the South and West sides of Chicago as self-autonomous city states to be run by Mayor Lewis.
Comment by Under Further Review Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:31 pm
The crudity level of press conferences would reach new highs, or should we say lows.
Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:32 pm
If Rauner wins his base of support will not be Chicago. If Chicago wants to elect a union leader who’s for high taxes on Chicago businesses : it’s not Rauner’s problem. More of the status quo in Chicago only weakens Chicago. Republicans might even go along with a city income tax for Chicago to pay for public pensions as long as it only applies to Chicago residents. Making Chicago less competitive isn’t going to hurt Bruce Rauner politically.
Comment by Steve Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:38 pm
the city of chicago replaces teachers with robots and rauner exposes his dual citizenship in the caymen island were he governs from to this day
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:40 pm
Steve, I think you missed parts of the chorus from the superficially ideological songbook.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:42 pm
Steve,
Whether or not you like it, reality is that Chicago remains the economic engine that drives Illinois.
If Chicago suffers, the state suffers.
So no, Rauner would not be fine with Chicago in decline.
Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:51 pm
I’m moving back to California.
Comment by Archiesmom Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 1:59 pm
You unlock this door with the key of unimagined wealth. Beyond it is another dimension—a dimension of employee layoffs, a dimension of delusional budgeting, a dimension of deteriorating state services. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and subterfuge, of ego and inexperience. That’s the signpost up ahead - you’ve just crossed over into Raunernois.
Comment by Sangamo Sam Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 2:02 pm
@William j. Kelly: =If she would run with that she would play a big part in defeating Rauner in November and improve her chances of taking out out Rahm in February.=
Is this a tacit admission that you are folding your tent in the Mayoral race? Won’t Dick Morris feel duped for attending your kick-off?
Comment by Knome Sane Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 2:24 pm
The next mayor will have to raise taxes, the next governor will have to raise taxes.
The difference is that the mayor gets to blame his or her tax increase on the governor, and not the other way around.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 2:37 pm
The Dartmouth Mouth vs. the Dartmouth Money Clout
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 2:45 pm
Wishing for the return of the peace of Quinn and Emanuel?
“Steve,
Whether or not you like it, reality is that Chicago remains the economic engine that drives Illinois.”
Here is a Crain’s article from yesterday, about how real estate investment in Chicago is robust and is expected to continue, despite fears of tax increases and pension problems.
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140816/ISSUE01/308169981/looming-tax-hikes-havent-stopped-big-money-real-estate-bets?utm_source=ISSUE01&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chicagobusiness
Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 2:45 pm
47th Ward
About 40 seconds in …
https://screen.yahoo.com/joyride-ross-perot-000000231.html
Comment by Anyone Remember Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 3:04 pm
Teachers on strike, and charter schools employing instructers at minimum wage, as far as the eye can see.
Comment by walker Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 3:07 pm
This is nothing, Just think had Quinn won, been impeached and we had to sit through the Vallas-Lewis meeting!
Comment by the Patriot Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 4:07 pm
“Teachers on strike?” I think that’s got it backwards — if you have a mayor who understands collective bargaining, maybe they’d be less likely to strike.
Comment by olddog Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 4:18 pm
May not be a bad move. It may restore people’s faith in government and democratic politics.
Comment by Itcan'tgetworse Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 4:37 pm
If it happened, look up and around: maybe there’ll be Pigs flying, too, and if it’s July, it’ll likely read somethin’ like 34 degrees out for a new Record for an Overnight Low…!
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 7:31 pm
@PC
=The state sinks and the city rises a little bit.=
Chicago is built on a swamp and landfill. When Heronner leaves town I suspect the city will “rise” a bit, but not as much as the suburbs when she drives businesses out of the city but they choose to stay in Illinois!
Who was that African American Congressman who voiced his concerns in a congressional hearing that the island of Guam might sink if we increase the number of troops we station there?
Comment by Arizona Bob Tuesday, Aug 19, 14 @ 9:35 pm
Debates would be moved to mud-wrestling venues. The Mayor would be leading a teachers strike. This relationship would make Quinn/Emanuel relationship look intimate by comparison. Rahm’s got the dough to broadcast the charm of Karen Lewis. Hard to imagine; she’s more despicable than he is every day of the week.
Comment by A guy Wednesday, Aug 20, 14 @ 7:39 am
Sounds like the State of Michigan and the City of Detroit to me.
Chicago suffers due to the political malpractice rampant there and Rauner would ensure that the bleeding from Cook County is stopped outside the county line. Whatever is left economically within Cook will disappear and those outside Cook will continue to demand to be protected from the vultures who will be looking for new funds to survive.
What you are describing is what is happening in Michigan.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 20, 14 @ 8:09 am
How about an ideological passion play starring Gordon Gecko and Karl Marx?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Aug 20, 14 @ 8:50 am
–Chicago suffers due to the political malpractice rampant there and Rauner would ensure that the bleeding from Cook County is stopped outside the county line.–
The global economic juggernaut that is the Chicago metro region provide the taxes that allow you to shoot the breeze all day at your state job.
How about a thank you, cousin?
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Aug 20, 14 @ 9:01 am