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* UPDATED x1 * Bloodtober continues with a fury

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* From the Democratic Governors Association…

With new revelations about his direct links to public corruption, Republican Bruce Rauner gave himself another $1.5 million, bringing his total to more than $14 million.

Below is the statement of Democratic Governors Association Illinois spokesperson Rikeesha Phelon in response:

“If it’s Friday, it must mean that Republican Bruce Rauner is pumping more money into his increasingly-desperate campaign.

“It seems that every time there’s bad news for his campaign-this time his direct ties to a colossal bribery scandal-he opens up his wallet to himself.

“No amount of money can buy Bruce Rauner an unblemished record when it comes to his direct ties to public corruption, deadly negligence and outright fraud.”

There’s been a distinct change of tone out of Gov. Quinn’s campaign and allied organizations this week. No longer content to call him a billionaire, now he’s directly tied to “public corruption, deadly negligence and outright fraud.”

Brace yourselves, campers. It’s gonna get worse.

*** UPDATE *** The RGA kicked in another $1.1 million. You gotta wonder what other Republican gubernatorial candidates around the country are thinking about the RGA dumping so many millions into the campaign of a gazillionaire, but whatevs.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:16 pm

Comments

These are the “over-the-top” campaigns. On so many levels.

Comment by Stones Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:25 pm
With one month still remaining? Ugh. Buy stock in gubernatorial undervotes and Pepto-Bismol.

You may not have an ulcer yet, but you will by the time this rampage is done on both sides.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:27 pm
They’re on the verge of Looney. They’ll cross the bridge pretty soon.

Comment by A guy... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:28 pm
Can someone explain to me why Rauner’s money dumps seem to always be on Friday? Is it as simple as figuring it will get less publicity on the tail end of the workweek? (Sorta like how Quinn always seems to sign bills on weekends?)

Comment by Roadiepig Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:29 pm
Inoculating on corruption in preparation for the NRI storm to come next week.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:33 pm
===Can someone explain to me why Rauner’s money dumps seem to always be on Friday? Is it as simple as figuring it will get less publicity on the tail end of the workweek? (Sorta like how Quinn always seems to sign bills on weekends?)===

When you have put in more that $11 million in your own campaign, not many want to talk about it all week.

Yes, there is a real reason, and you are On It - Roadiepig -

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:33 pm
A guy, wasn’t your guy calling PQ a felon? C’mon man, everyone’s going over the top. It makes me sick too, but both candidates passed the looney threshold weeks ago.

Comment by Jimbo Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:38 pm
Rauner went on “the cheap” in the summer, it’s costing him now, far more than the dollars.

In that, I find it ironically humorous that a man, who made over $50 million in a year, is a phony with his Carhartt and watch and van, is desperate because…he didn’t spend money he had.

Deliciously ironic.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:44 pm
Except that it’s true. GTCRauner is directly tied to fraud, negligence, and corruption. This isn’t bean bag.

Methinks Brucie was hoping his many business ’successes’ were not going to come to light.

Comment by How Ironic Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:45 pm
Rauner is killing rauner! If these rauner revaluations continue the next rauner company to go under will be rauner inc. In a statement from the Rauner campaign, “rauner is ahead in the latest poll but the election isn’t till November and we won’t stop till rauner is in jail!”

Comment by William j Kelly Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:46 pm
The fierce reaction by the DGA and Quinn campaign suggests that the Rauner campaign’s focus on corruption and the early release issue is leaving a mark and could be an impactful line of attack from now until election day. It would be interesting to see a tracking poll or two from the past few days.

Comment by Illannoyed Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:47 pm
Seems like the DGA don’t like that the RGA pumped in another 1.1 million with a 1.5 million Bruce kicker. Need more dues money from AFSCME, SEIU and IUOE stat!

Comment by Western Ave. Doug Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:47 pm
Grow up people. It’s a campaign. Competitive campaigns are negative. You would think you would understand that concept since you read a political blog. I can’t stand so called academic experts or indignant columnists acting like every campaign season must be purer than the white driven snow. It’s October. A lot is at stake. Every single competitive race in this state will be negative. If you don’t understand why, go back to PolSci 101. Enough feigning like it is suppose to be different.

Comment by Tom Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:48 pm
Wasn’t this obvious?

Quinn’s message was never planned to just be “he’s a billionaire!” Those ads were setup, to drill into the public’s mind that he’s a billionaire. Then they could move on to the real question.

Ok, he’s a billionaire.

How’d he become a billionaire?

They were the framing for the next line of attacks, and each consecutive attack has become stronger. Quinn’s campaign has built, step-by-step, an image of Bruce Rauner in the public’s mind.

They didn’t try to go with a million different attacks at once like Rauner’s ads have. They chose one attack. Rauner is a greedy sociopath.

And the reason why that attack has been so successful is that none of them, individually, asked people to take a big leap. Each new attack played into what people already thought they knew about Rauner, and only asked people to believe one more small fact about Rauner. And only once they had thoroughly pounded their line of the day into the public mind did they move on to the next one.

Quinn has a narrative. Rauner doesn’t. At least, not a very clear or effective one. The result is that in the span of six months Quinn will have totally destroyed Rauner on a personal level.

Comment by Angel's Sword Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:56 pm
===Grow up people. It’s a campaign.===

No one said it wasn’t, but thanks for being condescending and pointing out the obvious.

===Competitive campaigns are negative. You would think you would understand that concept since you read a political blog.===

I keep reading, I haven’t seen anyone not understanding. Your reading comprehension must be off

===I can’t stand so called academic experts or indignant columnists acting like every campaign season must be purer than the white driven snow.===

Who are you talking about?

===It’s October. A lot is at stake. Every single competitive race in this state will be negative. If you don’t understand why, go back to PolSci 101.===

Aren’t you the ball of sunshine. Will you teach that class, or can we just audit your keen insight?

===Enough feigning like it is suppose to be different.===

This might go back to your reading comprehension, I’m not seeing it. Good luck.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:57 pm
Anges’s Sword “Rauner is a greedy sociopath”

The shark has officially been jumped.

Comment by Thunder Fred Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 3:59 pm
==The shark has officially been jumped.==

If they jumped the shark, they did it a while back, because this has always been Quinn’s entire campaign.

Comment by Angel's Sword Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:02 pm
== GTCRauner is directly tied to fraud, negligence, and corruption ==

As is the state of Illinois in various capacities, unfortunately.

I really am leaning towards Oswego Willy or none of the above. Not even Mr. Grimm as a protest vote, since he does not seem qualified.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:03 pm
Interesting:

1) Rauner is circulating a fundraising letter which utilizes a reprint of a Rich Miller column from Crain’s. The challenger accuses the Dems of coordinating their efforts to protect Quinn.

2) An “official” looking letter from the “desk of the Secretary of State” is actually an unrequested solicitation advising voters how to make a request for an absentee ballot, the mailer included an application. The piece is actually a paid political ad, but that is in the small print. The timing of the mailing coincides with Jesse White sending a pamphlet on ballot referenda questions.

Miller and Rauner are on the right track about coordinated campaigns.

Comment by Under Further Review Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:03 pm
===a reprint of a Rich Miller column from Crain’s===

They’ve been sending that out for weeks. My brother got it in early September I think.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:04 pm
By the way, what ever happened to our fraud charges? http://www.sec.gov/News/PressRelease/Detail/PressRelease/1365171513202#.VC8POo1ATIU

== Washington, D.C., March 11, 2013 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged the State of Illinois with securities fraud for misleading municipal bond investors about the state’s approach to funding its pension obligations. ==

Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:05 pm
Boom, all those dollars are churning the lit piece and the TV ad pounding Quinn after this weeks NRI hearing. If he doesn’t blast that deal hard then he’ll have nothing left to hit.

Comment by DuPage Bard Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:07 pm
“Can someone explain to me why Rauner’s money dumps seem to always be on Friday?”

It could be simple campaign mechanics. One common way to do media buys is in weekly blocks and one smart way to do that is to do Wednesday to the following Tuesday (so that on your final week you end on election day). If that were the case you’d have to wire money to the buyer probably by Monday at the latest so that they could then get the money and the spots to the stations in time.

Rauner seems to be running multi-track ads so his buys could be more frequent and/or complicated than that. Also he could be trying to limit exposure by doing these late on Fridays but there’s also probably some element that ties to the timing of cash flows.

Comment by The Captain Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:09 pm
One of two things is likely happening. Rauner is funneling money thru the RGA or he has promised to raise the RGA a certain amount if elected.

Comment by Voice of Reason Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:10 pm
Rauner has said that the economy and jobs are important issues to him. I would guess that his millions alone have helped the various media outlets (radio, TV, and cable) across the state greatly so far during the campaign.

Comment by Hit or Miss Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:10 pm
On the other hand, we can never count Governor Quinn out. If there is a resolution to the case involving Barry Saacks before November, that could be a game changer equally as damaging as the NRI hearings.

That is one of the more distasteful situations imaginable, should the facts turn out to support Mr. Saacks.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:16 pm
@Rich Miller:

Yes, it is an older column that was published in May. Rauner’s cover letter makes out as if the story that you reported was brand new, but it was something from the spring time.

Comment by Under Further Review Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:19 pm
Isn’t the RGA just giving Rauner back the money he donated to them?

Comment by my two cents Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:20 pm
Oswego–don’t like it when the big dogs come peeing on your front lawn?

Comment by Tom Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:27 pm
—“Rauner is a greedy sociopath”—

Now that you mention it, the resemblance is very much coming in to focus.

Comment by MikeMacD Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:28 pm
== Every single competitive race in this state will be negative. ==

To differing extents. There is negative.

And then there is sensational, bombastic, over-the-top with guys in chicken suits and pressers featuring caged chickens. Usually we would just have to settle for the chicken suits.

It’s not every campaign you get more than one fictional character trailing the candidates. Chicken suits, Quinnochio and Baron Moneybags? That’s priceless.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:30 pm
===Oswego–don’t like it when the big dogs come peeing on your front lawn?===

I live in a condo in NYC with a moat, I don’t get your metaphor, and are you referring to yourself as liquid “waste” from a dog, because I think more of you then you think of yourself.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:38 pm
Thank you “The Captain”. The ad buy issue never even dawned on me but makes sense.

- my two cents - Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:20 pm:

Isn’t the RGA just giving Rauner back the money he donated to them?

Good point!

Comment by Roadiepig Friday, Oct 3, 14 @ 4:42 pm
The irony from Bruce is his charge about Governor Quinn’s so-called feeding at the public trough.

Bruce, where do you think Medicaid money comes from? Hello….McFly!!!!!

Talk about out of touch.

Comment by Del Clinkton Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 7:37 am