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Under the bus he goes

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Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is accusing Illinois governor Bruce Rauner of trying to balance the state’s budget on the backs of Chicago’s working families.

Everything from kids to cops, technology to transit could be impacted by state budget cuts, according to Mayor Emanuel.

“I’ve been very clear to all the leaders and to the governor,” Emanuel said on Wednesday. “This budget will not stand. It’s wrong for Chicago and I believe it’s wrong for Illinois.”

The City forecasts Rauner’s proposed budget would mean 1,000 fewer cops, $130 million in cuts to the CTA and 60,000 kids losing subsidized daycare.

* Not everyone was buying into the mayor’s rhetoric. The Tribune’s coverage was entitled “Emanuel tries to score points with Rauner attack”…

Mayor Rahm Emanuel offered up a double serving of political theater Wednesday, attacking his friend Gov. Bruce Rauner’s attempt to slash state spending and airing a TV ad in which the mayor appeared contrite about his first term but didn’t specify what he got wrong. […]

Emanuel’s castigation of Rauner’s budget blueprint represented a time-tested way for a Chicago mayor to score quick political points by attacking whoever is in the governor’s mansion. […]

Emanuel’s criticism of Rauner also served the political purpose of attempting to distance himself from a Republican private equity specialist he once did business with during a brief stint as an investment banker that made the mayor personally wealthy.

* Sun-Times…

On Wednesday, Emanuel set out to prove that he is, indeed, fighting for everyday Chicagoans and does not deserve the “Mayor 1 percent” label that his challenger has used to define him.

* On to the actual attack…

“You ran for office saying, ‘Here are the challenges.’ I get it. [But] I don’t think you did the hard work of saying, ‘Early childhood is important. Here’s how we’re gonna do it different.’ They just said cut. And the brunt of the cuts are the hundreds of families and parents that rely on a qualified, healthy environment for their kids.”

Instead of wielding the budget ax in a way that would deprive Chicago of “hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said Rauner should zero in on “corporate loopholes” like the ones the mayor closed in Chicago.

Implied, but not stated, was Emanuel’s claim that he had the guts to take on the corporate donors who filled his campaign fund with $15 million.

He also said the governor’s proposed cuts gave new meaning to the phrase “Women and children first.”

* More…

“These are just random cuts. There are no reforms to asking a core question: If this is an essential service, how do we do it? How do we do it better? Are we the best to do it?” Emanuel said of Rauner’s budget. “This budget is wrong. It’s wrong for Illinois, it’s fundamentally wrong for Chicago, and it will not stand.”

* Video…

* Chuy Garcia’s response…

“The mayor should go to Springfield and sit with Rauner. Maybe open up one of those expensive bottles [of wine] and figure out how he’s going to really fight for the people of Chicago when his buddy is the person who’s bringing on the bad news that will spare no one, especially the most vulnerable people,” Garcia said.

* Gov. Rauner’s response…

“Governor Rauner had to make some hard decisions to balance a $6 billion budget shortfall caused by years of fiscal neglect and bad practices. The amount of money transferred to local governments has ballooned by more than 40 percent in the last decade and the reduction to local governments proposed in the budget puts Illinois in line with neighboring states. In Governor Rauner’s budget proposal, Chicago’s overall revenues are reduced by less than 2.5 percent. Through the local government task force, Governor Rauner is committed to working with local communities to reduce costs and give them increased flexibility. Additionally, as part of his Turnaround Agenda, the governor proposed empowering local residents with tools to control costs at the local level and get more value for their tax dollars.”

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:15 am

Comments

I am sure rahm and rauner figured out this good cop/bad cop play over a nice bottle of $1,000 wine.

Comment by William j Kelly Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:18 am
Wow, Mayor Emmanuel! What a gift you have - your ability to speak out of both sides of your mouth is impressive. At the same time you are lauding Governor Rauner as your good friend and successful businessman, you accuse him of balancing the budget on the backs if working people? Governor Rauner made the difficult fiscal decisions that you failed to do and this is how you thank him? We’ll see how this ends…

Comment by Black Ivy Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:21 am
He’ll remain under that bus for 5 more weeks.

Comment by A guy Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:21 am
Can manufactured outrage directed at your travel partner gain votes? Stay tuned. I suspect this will not be an effective strategy because it isn’t believable.

Comment by AC Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:22 am
Just because it’s politically expedient doesn’t mean the Mayor is wrong about the Governor’s budget.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:23 am
“At the same time you are lauding Governor Rauner as your good friend and successful businessman, you accuse him of balancing the budget on the backs if working people?”

There’s absolutely no contradiction in a man being a “successful businessman” and his breaking the backs of working people.

Too often they go hand in glove.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:27 am
This seems like an unforced error by the Mayor.

Like it or not, and true or not, he’s perceived as being close to the gov. A few statements attacking the gov. are not going to change the perception.

All it will do is remind people of the issue.

Rahm’s one of the smartest political minds out there, but this is almost Rauner-like in its stupidity.

Comment by Gooner Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:29 am
Black Ivy, when did Emanuel laud Bruce Rauner as his good friend and successful businessman? Maybe I missed it; I’ve seen the media and Rahm’s opponents zero in on the friendship between the two, but I haven’t exactly seen Rahm highlighting the relationship between him and Rauner.

Comment by ??? Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:30 am
Looks like Hizzonor has been going without sleep as of late.

Comment by Under Further Review Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:35 am
Rahm must quickly find someone else to be the ==bad guy==, or he is stuck with the label.

Rauner it is.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:36 am
“Like it or not, and true or not, he’s perceived as being close to the gov. ”

Moreover, that’s an asset if you play it the right way.

“Rauner is new and untested, and you guys don’t know him. But I do, and I can guide him, I can get what Chicago needs out of him.”

Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:37 am
But it is pretty hilarious that

Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:38 am
Meh, Rauner didn’t propose a propose a real budget and it certainly wasn’t balanced.

The guy will have to get to work eventually.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:39 am
Not to digress, but Arsenal is your nickname after the football side or after the place in Rock Island?

Comment by Gooner Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:40 am
==Rauner: “…the reduction to local governments proposed in the budget puts Illinois in line with neighboring states.”==

So what? How are those states doing? Just because your neighbor does something doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:46 am
Turn around
Every now and then
I get a little bit lonely
And you’re never coming round

Comment by the koala Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:46 am
…that Rauner is already an electoral albatross. Man, what am I doing wrong today?

Gooner- C’mon you Gunners!

Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:47 am
In the last sentence of Governor’s response I’m guessing that he’s referring to right to work zones. He just never lets up on blaming Unions for the fiscal problems of the state.

Comment by The Dude Abides Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:47 am
First, let’s compare Chicago property taxes with those of neighboring suburbs. Then let’s even them up a bit-that probably means, gasp, an increase.Then let’s take another look at the proposed state budget with respect to Chicago. Maybe the fiscal picture for Chicago will look a little better.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:47 am
@???

Seriously…

How many people vacation with people in Montana and stay as their house guests without being acquainted with their host?

Rahm worked with Rauner (who allegedly gave the dance major his start in the lucrative world of investment banking with no prior experience) and he has socialized with him. Enough said. Suffice it to say Emanuel and Rauner have some sort of relationship.

Rahm used to work closely with Blago, but that was more than a decade ago. Politics and business make some strange bedfellows.

Comment by Under Further Review Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:48 am
+++”…the governor proposed empowering local residents with tools to control costs at the local level and get more value for their tax dollars.”+++ According to the governor, the state is shutting down. How can the locals control their cost after he froze their income?

Comment by Mama Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:49 am
==puts Illinois in line with neighboring states==

Is that our benchmark for everything now. We have to be the same as other states? If so it’s a bad benchmark.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:50 am
More importantly, does Rahm make Manchester United fans seem likeable by comparison?

Comment by AC Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:53 am
UFR, oh, I’m not denying that they have a friendship. I know about the vacationing and all that. It just seemed that Black Ivy was accusing Rahm of highlighting his relationship with “good friend and successful businessman” Bruce Rauner in one breath and blasting him in another. I’m just saying that I haven’t really seen Rahm himself trying to highlight that relationship. Like I said, maybe he has and I just missed it.

Comment by ??? Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:53 am
“… the reduction to local governments proposed in the budget puts Illinois in line with neighboring states …”

Why on earth would we want to be in line with neighboring states?

Shouldn’t our infrastructure and services be better than the neighboring states? I thought the idea was to be better to attract business and people, so they will want to move here.

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:56 am
What =Huh?= said times a million.

Comment by chi Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 10:59 am
As governor, Rauner is going down in flames. His “budget” was as realistic as what he proposed during the campaign, flanked by live prairie chickens. Look at how well it has been received, not only by the Party in Dominant Power, but by his own Party in Declining Power. Name three GOP legislators selling this prairie chicken-less budget stunt.

You better believe that Rahm is going to throw Rauner an anchor. This election could turn into a Chicago referendum on Governor Clueless. If Rahm can turn attention away from his own failings, and blame the City’s woes on the new flailing governor, he could perhaps deflect some negative attention away from himself.

Rauner has been exposing himself as a man no one would have elected today. Will Rahm begin asking how Mr. Garcia could succeed with such a governor heading our state? Voters might love Garcia, but if they see nothing but incompetence and idiocy from Springfield, perhaps they will rethink putting a new guy they love in office, and give their unloved incumbent, known for his ugly side, another shot.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:08 am
=
“… the reduction to local governments proposed in the budget puts Illinois in line with neighboring states …”

Why on earth would we want to be in line with neighboring states?

Shouldn’t our infrastructure and services be better than the neighboring states? I thought the idea was to be better to attract business and people, so they will want to move here.=
Aren’t most neighboring states in better financial condition than Illinois? I doubt any neighboring states are striving to be Illinois.

Comment by Apocalypse Now Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:12 am
The amount of money transferred to local governments has ballooned by more than 40 percent in the last decade and the reduction to local governments proposed in the budget puts Illinois in line with neighboring states.

Big problem being exposed here - whoever wrote this statement and edited it for approval - ISN’T from Illinois, or has much respect for it’s place in our country’s history. Comparing a state he is governing to the surrounding states he doesn’t, is amazingly incompetent.

Anyone within the Rauner administration using “surrounding states” as a benchmark against the great state of Illinois, and publically states that - need to be replaced immediately.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:14 am
“[Rauner] allegedly gave [Rahm] his start in the lucrative world of investment banking with no prior experience”

Um, no. You ruin your credibility when you toss out such verifiably false tripe. Frankly, it makes you sound like a fool.

Bruce Wasserstein–major D donor, Friend of Bill (gee–just like Rahm!)–gave Rahm his job. And his decision to sell, and the specific timing thereof, Waserstein Perella to Dresdner was the cause of about half of Rahm’s total gain from his I-Baking tour.

Comment by Chris Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:20 am
I must admit the Bruce-Rahm dynamic is getting good. I wish we’d hear more from the wife though. Now that I finished streaming my Netflix fix, House of Carhartts is my new favorite show.

Comment by Carhartt Representative Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:24 am
=Aren’t most neighboring states in better financial condition than Illinois?=

Yes. And to generalize, it’s because Illinois has always offered better infrastructure and services than its neighbors, but needs to collect more revenue to continue to do so.

Comment by chi Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:25 am
“Don’t look at my record or failures, Rauner’s plans are far worse!”

Comment by Wensicia Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:29 am
Is anyone surprised? Optics, Optics.

Comment by Nearly Normal Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:44 am
Gooner, Arsenal: That’s why I get you two confused.

Comment by walker Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:47 am
Agreed with the poster above who called it an “unforced error” by Rahm.

I’m shocked that Chuy’s response consisted of nothing other than class warfare. Oh wait, no I’m not.

Comment by PJ Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:47 am
The reduction to local governments is also a revenue increase for the state by another name.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:56 am
===Aren’t most neighboring states in better financial condition than Illinois?===

Perhaps. If you used a very limited measure of “financial condition.” If your neighbor might not have any debt, but may have a home that is in terrible condition. You might have a home that is in very good condition and a mortgage (that you can pay). Who is in better “financial condition?” Your overall situation might be better because your home is worth more and provides better shelter (the water, heat, and electricity works & you ave wi-fi).

To put this back into the context of the thread: Rahm is trying to show that Rauner is going for what appears to be fiscal order but has an underlying disorder. Will Rahm be willing to say “taxes should be higher”? If not, its an empty attack.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:58 am
Cassandra of course you are correct about Chicago’s lower property tax rate, but that does not mean Chicago could raise the rate sufficiently to offset the proposed cut in funds and generate money to cover pension costs even if it was politically possible. Polling data relating to any Chicago politician supporting a property tax increase indicates that politically the idea is a no go.

Comment by Rod Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 11:59 am
In what universe should Illinois taxpayers pay for state support to the CTA? Let those who use the CTA pay for it. Go Bruce!

Comment by Fed up Taxpayer Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 12:29 pm
===In what universe should Illinois taxpayers pay for state support to the CTA?===

The same universe that requires Chicago taxpayers to subsidize suburban and Downstate teacher pension funds.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 12:32 pm
The Bruce-Rham tag team won’t work. This guy is supposed to be a political genius yet he continues to misread the true sentiments the average Joe has of him. Simply put, he’s an opportunist who will say or do anything to get re-elected: yes, all politicians do this. However, this this guy just pours it on and on and on…he sufficates you.

Comment by ChicagoDem Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 12:34 pm
Both Rahm and Chuy need to focus in on and reinforce very simple and easy to grasp messages for the voters who are moving from other candidates or are undecided. I don’t think this financially complex Rauner budget detour by Rahm fills that bill at all. So I’m really scratching my head over Rahm deciding to use the tactic

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 1:02 pm
Rahm can skewer Bruce because he knows that the cuts Rauner has proposed do not stand a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving the Spring session….no chutzpah on display here…move along…

Comment by Loop Lady Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 1:04 pm
I’m sure that Rahm and Bruce had a few chuckles drinking wine together about how they might have to make some disparaging public comments about each other down the road.

Comment by forwhatitsworth Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 1:39 pm
@Chris:

Any idea when the Obama administration will release the minutes of the Freddie Mac Board meetings which Rahm attended as a director of the regulatory agency charged with overseeing government backed mortgages?

Comment by Under Further Review Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 3:02 pm
This is like watching a modern version of the 1944 Hitchcock movie, “Lifeboat”.

Only, I don’t think the allies are gonna reach Illinois before the final reel ends.

Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 4:17 pm
===”new meaning to the phrase ‘Women and children first’”===

===”These are random cuts.”===

Which is it Mr. Mayor?

All the locals are breaking a sweat and babbling on this one.

High point of Arl. Hts. board member’s televised presentation on their letter to Rauner demanding no cuts to distributed funds: “Everyone should be reading Capitol Fax and getting involved.”

Comment by walker Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 4:30 pm
Nobody is buying this act, Mr. Mayor. You are a true pal of Bruce Rauner, with the pictures to prove it. You can’t disown him or his policies now. Your heart is not in it. You are Mayor One Percent. Be proud of it. Own it.

Comment by DuPage Dave Thursday, Mar 5, 15 @ 6:32 pm