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Merely a front?

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Illinois

* Last week, I gave you Greg Hinz’s take on this particular subject. Here’s mine, from my syndicated newspaper column…

A newly formed group of self-described “center-left” Democrats claims to have secured $20 million in commitments to spend on state legislative races here.

But that $20 million apparently isn’t meant to counter Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s infamous $20 million campaign stash, which he says will be used to support his allies and punish his enemies. Indeed, the Democratic group appears to be promoting what could be seen as a somewhat softer, neo-liberal version of Raunerism.

Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity is not a traditional Democratic group, as its name more than implies. The press release announcing the group’s launch blasted Democratic leadership, including former Gov. Pat Quinn and both legislative leaders, for passing a budget last year “that they knew would create a financial crisis.”

The group also bemoans the lack of manufacturing employment, the state’s horrible credit rating and its poor business climate ratings, without specifically endorsing any real world fixes like workers’ compensation reform.

The ILGO blames all these problems on unspecified “special interests” which have had “far too much influence with legislative majorities in setting public policy.”

In interviews last week, the leaders of the group refused to specify which Democratic-allied special interests they were talking about, but they did point to the ultra-liberal Chicago Teachers Union as an organization which takes hardline stances without regard to “reality.”

The idea, apparently, is to create a well-funded alternate path for Democrats who may fear upsetting organized labor and other traditional party allies this year. The group doesn’t appear to be an overtly Rauneresque “anti-union” organization, but they are definitely not intending to echo organized labor’s positions, claiming that they’re “not bound by the constructs” of the party and its traditional allies.

Further evidence of this is that the new organization appears mainly designed to buttress Democrats who find themselves in tough primary races. “We’re not very interested in the balance of power as relates to Democrats vs. Republicans,” said an official with the organization. The hottest Democratic primaries lately have been fought between activist union-allied candidates and business-backed candidates.

So far, though, specifics are almost completely absent. Usually, it’s pretty easy to assess where a Statehouse organization stands. They have priority lists and even lists of legislation which they support and oppose. No such list currently exists for Illinoisans for Growth and Opportunity.

The group’s leaders say they will be “communicating very clearly” and “working with the leaders and caucuses” throughout the spring session. But so far at least, they aren’t taking a stance on things like taxation. “We’re not advocating that you raise taxes, and we’re not advocating that you cut spending,” said another group leader. Instead, they say they want a “holistic” approach. They are clearly interested in protecting some state spending, claiming that there are many state programs which are “important” for Illinoisans.

Despite their harsh talk about their party’s legislative leadership, they claim that they’ve reached out to the caucus leaders to assure them that “we have their backs.”

And while they did identified a handful of board members, financing will likely be done mostly in the dark. The group has formed a not-for-profit 501(c)(4) group, which will allow contributors to remain anonymous. That money and other public contributions will then be funneled to an independent expenditure committee.

The general consensus under the Dome after news first broke about ILGO is that it’s probably little more than a Rauner front organization.

The three publicly identified board members have contributed relatively few actual campaign dollars in the past, and one of them is married to a prominent Rauner supporter. That’s leading some to believe that Rauner’s super-wealthy pals (many of whom have also contributed big bucks to Mayor Emanuel, who has ties to the firm which is handling the new organization’s activities) will be the real force behind the ILGO’s “dark money” fund.

The ILGO’s press release, which was so critical of the state’s Democratic leadership it purports to support, had as its main thrust fixing this fiscal year’s budget problem, which is currently the biggest Statehouse topic by far. Quite a few Senate Democrats said that it looked like the press release was aimed directly at them because they weren’t fully cooperating with Gov. Rauner on the budget fix.

It’s difficult to argue with any of that.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 10:46 am

Comments

Well the Republicans are already bought, and the money has to go somewhere.

Comment by PublicServant Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 10:54 am
I wish them well. I believe they strike a chord that has been buried for decades

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 10:54 am
Anonymous - what chord is that? I’m not being facetious, I just find it impossible to divine anything from these vague pronouncements, some of which seem to conflict with each other.

Comment by Sam Weinberg Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:01 am
Front. They pretty much said they were pushing Rauner’s agenda at their press conference.

Let’s see the contributors to this “progressive” goo-goo group.

Comment by Wordslinger Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:04 am
Rich, i dont think you should shy away from naming Resolute Consulting by name as the firm running this dark money organization. Greg Goldner is one of the smartest political operatives in the business today, and he does outstanding work. However, many have been thrown off his scent because he came from the Daley organization. Many consider him to be a Democratic operative, when in reality he now runs a business. His skills are available to the highest bidder, and few can bid as high as Bruce Rauner. Many believed that Goldner’s fingerprints were all over the Rauner campaign for governor, and i think there is some merit to that. Goldner is a disciplined message guy, and that was Rauner’s campaign to a tee. Furthermore, with Goldner’s history of running organizations like ILGO (for Emanuel and Daley), it suggests that he was one of the architects in developing this strategy for Rauner. Its a brilliant divide and conquer strategy, and just the kind of strategy that Goldner excels at devising and executing.

Comment by Anon Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:04 am
nice to hear from some pro business Moderates be they Democrats or Republicans. I wish they would focus on small business

Comment by Shoedoctor Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:05 am
When liberal reporters are upset you know you’re doing something right.

Comment by The obvious Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:06 am
===i dont think you should shy away from naming Resolute Consulting by name===

Cut for space.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:07 am
===many of whom have also contributed big bucks to Mayor Emanuel, who has ties to the firm which is handling the new organization’s activities===

I think this is the Mayor’s version of the Rauner $20 million. I’d expect Rahm and Bruce to agree on several legislative priorities and figure they’ll work together on those, and go their own way on other issues. Doubt you’ll see Rahm and Rauner working against each other.

Let’s face it, in many ways Rahm Emanuel’s agenda looks a lot like Bruce Rauner’s agenda.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:08 am
They probably should have picked a different amount.

What’s with Rauner’s manufacturing employment nostalgia trip? The percentage of those employed in manufacturing has been declining globally for decades. Automation is a real thing, and has had real world consequences.

Comment by HappyToaster Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:11 am
So far, the comments in support of ILGO are literally laughable.

Are all the adults in a meeting this morning?

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:13 am
I feel like both parties are rich guys vs rich guys.

Comment by Belle Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:17 am
It’s all too wanna be Machiavellian, and frankly is coming off as unhinged.

My guess is his only meaningful accomplishment will be breaking the ILGOP for good. Whether that’s the intent…

Comment by HappyToaster Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:18 am
Belle ==I feel like both parties are rich guys vs rich guys==

and often the same rich guys…

Comment by Lord Frankenfurter Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:25 am
Gov. .01%’s slush fund stands at $40 million. When is the “Independents” rich guys going to create their front group for the man?

Comment by Norseman Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:30 am
it sure would be nice to have a data base so I could keep track of who’s who.

Comment by Anon 2 Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:32 am
It’s a front;

It’s also an affront…

…to those paying attention that the Rauner Crew honestly, truthfully, think we are all ignorant to the game being played here.

To the Post,

I had a few questions about the first $20 million and how that would/could shape the Democratic Caucuses, and how a Republican governor woukd instill his own wrath or pleasure in the other party’s 2 caucuses.

Welp, this answered those questions. Loudly. Boldly. Completely.

This is Raunerite triangulation of power, with alleged Democratic sympathizers helping a Republican governor, but Rauner and Co own the ILGOP GA, all this is is hedging on the Dem GA by trying to get 23.

That’s it. 23. Nothing more.

Rauner needs 13 Dems in the House, 10 in the Senate.

Worse case, Rauner needs 24 Dems in the House, 16 in the Senate.

That’s it. It’s leveraging away, peeling off Dems, to outmaneuver the leaders.

If MJM plays chess, this is like Rauner throwing the chess board up in the air because he knows he has no moves.

This is Rauner calling into Cullerton’s district, ordering pizzas to Cullerton’s house, and them being delivered.

Rauner’s polling, no, Rauner’s position polling will dictate how effective this will be in Dem districts, but what Dem legislator, now or in 2016, will be running on a Raunerite agenda?

None.

It’s the game of chicken based on Rauner believing his vote totals against Quinn have staying power to leverage 23.

That’s the gamble here. That’s the $20 million at play here;

The Rauner agenda polls what Rauner got to beat Pat Quinn.

Rauner owns the ILGOP GA, we will have to see if $20 million can leverage Rauner agenda support, against Dem Caucuses already helping Rauner destroy the ILGOP.

“Who” will get “Mautinoed” next? I’d ask Ron Sandack, because being “Mautinoed” is next for the GA Dems.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:39 am
Wow, a front organization going after the Chicago Teachers Union? There’s not a lot of space there with Democrats for Education Reform and Stand for Children.

Comment by Carhartt Representative Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:39 am
Can see neither their targeted GA members, nor their targeted legislation — beyond what little they have said to support Rauner so far. They just won’t say. Do they even know?

Madigan already fully supports “centrist” Dems, including fiscal conservatives and small business owners, when a competitive District might favor them. And he doesn’t pressure them for individual votes.

Are they going to add to Madigan’s support for these folks?

Comment by walker Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:42 am
Question. I don’t have any inside knowledge about this so I have to ask. Has Rauner or anybody else on his team tried to work with the Dems on a budget fix at all? Have they tried to talk about some kind of compromise or is the budget etched in stone. Rauner’s public image is that it’s his way or no way.

Comment by Ginhouse Tommy Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:51 am
Seems like a Rauner front group, but not like an effective one- too many masters, not enough clearly stated positions to really lay down the law.

Comment by Arsenal Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 11:52 am
The corruption of American politics continues.

To be clear, more money doesn’t automatically equal more corruption. There used to be (I remember) a principled First Amendment libertarian argument, back in the 1990s-2000s, namely that you can spend a lot more money trying to influence politics, but as long as it’s all disclosed, fully and publicly, then it’s on the public and the free press to apply responsibility. That’s also at the core of the _Citizens United_ ruling by Justice Kennedy. Even Justice Scalia has been clear, he doesn’t support the right to anonymous money-speech. There’s not a current constitutional rung to stand on here.

But then many of the super-rich decided they didn’t really care about principles … Everything in the 1990s turned out to be just a foot in the door, a con job in retrospect, to get more money into the system. And then having done that, they ditched any facade about transparency. It was so much easier to give a ton of money, and also to try and leave the public in the dark about who was giving what.

The new argument is that disclosure leads to the super-rich hearing mean things said about them, and that this has a “chilling impact” on their free expression. Which gets the First Amendment backwards. I fully believe many of these guys have big egos and get very full very fast with righteous indignation if anyone dares question them in public. But tough shakes.

And so big money ultimately corrupted itself, and now we’re left with a system that is neither principled nor defensible.

/rantover

Comment by ZC Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 12:31 pm
Glad to see some sensible Democrats join in to try to save the State of Illinois.

Comment by Apocalypse Now Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 12:32 pm
===Glad to see some sensible Democrats join in to try to save the State of Illinois.===

lol.

Vito Corleone called this “…an off you can’t refuse”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 12:41 pm
I think Rauner won every county except Cook. Why is the assumption that each member in the GA who votes with Rauner once in a while is doing so against their interests. I don’t think anyone voted for the status quo last November

Comment by Shoedoctor Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 12:51 pm
===I think Rauner won every county except Cook.===

Counties. Don’t. Vote. Please learn.

===Why is the assumption that each member in the GA who votes with Rauner once in a while is doing so against their interests.===

Voting against ventilators, and closing orphanages is the optics. A Dem isn’t goin’ to vote for a “Rauner Cut” unless it’s a structured roll call, inflicting damage to the ILGOP GA. That’s Caucus politics. That’s the game Rauner himself is trying to game.

===I don’t think anyone voted for the status quo last November===

Only one GA seat flipped.

So, in the ILGA, you can say the people voted for a legislative status quo.

Please work on your Raunerite talking points, hide them better.

Thanks.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 1:20 pm
I would state the obvious that the people in the counties vote for their member of the GA who ran unopposed in many cases. Don’t think that Rauner will take all the blame for the gridlock

Comment by Shoedoctor Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 2:14 pm
===I would state the obvious that the people in the counties vote for their member of the GA who ran unopposed in many cases. Don’t think that Rauner will take all the blame for the gridlock===

Rauner is in the Bug Chair, he owns it, comes with the gig.

lol, one seat flips in the GA, that’s real, excuses don’t change that.

Next time how about you keep the county argument out of it. Counties don’t vote, so don’t point to them.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 2:26 pm
“I would state the obvious that the people in the counties vote for their member of the GA who ran unopposed in many cases.”

That those constituencies couldn’t even muster up a challenger doesn’t exactly scream dissatisfaction with the status quo.

“Don’t think that Rauner will take all the blame for the gridlock”

Of course not, but he’ll get a lot of it. OTOH, Bennett or Sullivan or Forby will get hardly any.

And this isn’t just supposing; I’m sure we all agree that the FY15 budget was a disaster. And look who got sent home. It wasn’t the legislative leaders.

Comment by Arsenal Monday, Mar 23, 15 @ 4:30 pm