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Rauner said he would do it, and he did it

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Illinois

* From a Northwest Herald editorial…

By giving every Republican member of the state House and Senate campaign cash, Rauner is no better than the special interest groups and Springfield culture he campaigned against.

When voters put Rauner into office, they did so expecting change. Not even six months into his first term, and Rauner is giving voters signs that he may be more about fitting in and conforming than mixing it up.

There’s a lot to like about Rauner’s turnaround agenda, and we’ve supported the ideas that make sense and strive to make Illinois a better place to live and do business. We don’t, however, endorse business as usual.

Using campaign dollars to attain votes is a disappointment. We expected more from the man who promised to shakeup Springfield.

* Actually, Rauner promised to do exactly what he did last week way back in December of 2013. From my syndicated newspaper column last November…

Last December, Bruce Rauner appeared on a WLS Radio talk show and revealed that he planned to form a new campaign committee to counter the power of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

“We’re gonna raise a PAC, we’re gonna raise a fund dedicated to the state legislature, members of both parties who take the tough votes,” Rauner said. “We’ve gotta protect the members who take tough votes.”

“Right now,” Rauner continued, “Madigan controls the legislature from his little pot of cash. It isn’t that much money. And he runs the whole state government out of that pot. We need a pro-business, pro-growth, pro-limited-government, pro-tax-reduction PAC down there in Springfield working with the legislature for those who take tough votes.”

Instead of one PAC, there’s two. One he controls and a “Democratic” PAC controlled by his pals.

* And from October of 2013…

“And Madigan’s never dealt with someone like me. He’s dealt with career politicians who need favors, who need money, who are worried about re-election. That ain’t me. I can stand up to him.

“And I’m also a very aggressive negotiator. I know how to leverage and advantage. And I’ve got big advantages. The power of the governorship, if you’re willing to shake it up, is hugely powerful.

“You have executive order ability like very few other governors have. You have line item veto, amendatory veto. You control the checkbook and the spending. You control the contract negotiations with the government union bosses and the suppliers.

“I can do things no career politician would think about doing. I can run the government like a business, challenge the government unions and their power, transform their deal through contract negotiations, and stand up to Madigan, because I know where his special interest groups are, and I can go after them.”

So, he’s actually toned down his promises. At least for now.

* Related…

* Local lawmakers get Rauner money, say it won’t affect their decisions: “It’s sitting on a table at home right now,” Butler said of depositing the check in his campaign account. “I think we’ve just got to see how things play out. Obviously, there’s been a lot made of the fact that he’s cut these checks, so I’m kind of evaluating it right now.”… Butler said he disagrees with the notion that he’s expected to vote in favor of the governor’s agenda because of the contribution… Poe said he got $3,000 from Rauner. “I don’t intend to probably ever cash it,” Poe said. “Give it six months, and we’ll see what happens. I didn’t think I needed it right now and probably shouldn’t cash it.”

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 10:58 am

Comments

And Madigan has everyone of those quotes tucked away.
Either Rauner never intended to introduce a real budget or his legislative/negotiating team is a dismal failure.

Comment by Austin Blvd Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:04 am
“members of both parties who take the tough votes”

So, which Democrats got checks?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:05 am
The editorial is much more about some self-styled “smart” people’s ability to delude themselves and hear what they want rather than about any duplicity on the part of Bruce Rauner.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:05 am
$400,000 divided among 67 Republican legislators to have them take the “tough vote” to vote ‘present’. How much will be donated when they are directed to vote ‘yes’?

Comment by Tommydanger Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:05 am
I believe Rauner thinks with his campaign cash he is neutralizing the historic special interests, not creating another one.

Comment by Just Me Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:06 am
Oh NW Herald… bless your hearts…. But if you really claim to want to make Illinois a better place to live, this wouldn’t bother you, and the so-called Turnaround Agenda would.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:06 am
Rich, I’m counting three funds: Rauner’s campaign fund, the Turnaround Illinois fund bankrolled by Zell, and the ILGO front.

Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:12 am
==“Madigan controls the legislature from his little pot of cash. It isn’t that much money. And he runs the whole state government out of that pot.”==

A serious mistake to assume Madigan’s strength and control are mostly about money. After Rauner can match Madigan’s money (he’s already way ahead), then the real leadership contest begins.

Comment by walker Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:13 am
From SJR story: “Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, said he was told his office received something in the mail.”

Just wondering, which office received the campaign checks?

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:15 am
This report is still timely — it tells how PACs very similar to Rauner’s elected the first Republican legislature since 1870 in North Carolina. Don’t think it can’t happen here:

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/06/141078608/the-multimillionaire-helping-republicans-win-n-c

Comment by olddog Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:16 am
I cringed when I read this in 2013 and I cringe when I see what’s going on now. It’s clear that Rauner’s bravado has met the reality of actually governing. The result has been abysmal.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:18 am
Why did Rauner run for Governor? He doesn’t want to govern. Couldn’t he just use his money to get media attention when he speaks and run things from behind the scenes with his pots of cash?

Comment by Carhartt Representative Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:19 am
The mere fact Poe, Butler and Pritchard are debatin’ this shows the donations are hinky. it helps why the badly embarrassed GOPies are trying to blast Ds over the secret meetin’s and lack of progress.

Comment by Anonin' Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:21 am
Do you think when the Governor looks in the mirror he sees a tough guy looking back at him?

Comment by paddyrollingstone Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:23 am
I’m still very confused about the plan for ILGO. The Governor clearly wants more Republicans in the legislator; he’s actively recruiting candidates against top Dem targets. If targets vote w/ Rauner on anything, will ILGO fund them against viable GOP challengers? I don’t see that happening.

Are there any moderate Dems in safe districts who might vote w/ Rauner and then face primaries? That seems equally unlikely.

If ILGO really raises $20 mil, where the hell will it go?

Comment by tikkunolam Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:25 am
Rauner is not morally superior to Madigan et al, that has always been obvious.

He just has a different agenda.

Comment by Federalist Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:28 am
How can you just sit on a $4,000 check and tell the press you don’t know if you will cash it? You must be thinking “I can wait until the heat is off and use it next year.” These R’s know what they are going to do with their checks, be honest about it and cash it or return it.

Comment by John Parnell Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:30 am
So, to counter the stranglehold MJM has on his caucus, Rauner tries to create a counterpart. Fighting fire with fire. How does one take on such a juggernaut as MJM? We have seen how RB and PQ “tried” to make headway. We have seen how Ryan dealt with it.

Who knocks the kingpin off his lofty post? I fear it is just a game to them.

Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:31 am
Today, the math that’s failing the governor isn’t found in a checkbook;

60. 30.

I am embarrassed for the ILGOP GA.

They are less than Mushrooms; they are owned. Rauner says attack them, the say “Who”

The ILGOP is over. It doesn’t exist. The $400K sealed the deal, there isn’t any Party, just those “who” are with Rauner, and those not with Rauner.

Heck, - Louis G. Atsaves - told me that as well. I’m not needed or wanted, because I’m not a Raunerite.

It remains to be seen if the Blago dream of a “Raunerite” Party happens, but there’s $60 million in actual and committed monies towards making that Raunerite Party and the first step is complete; the ILGOP is co-opted.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:33 am
Rauner is not a good businessman or strategist.

He should have used his money to behind-the-scenes bankroll someone more charismatic to actually pass legislation. The fact that Rauner thinks that *he* is that charismatic, savvy, non-politician politician says more about Rauner’s mind than anything he’s done so far.

Comment by Frenchie Mendoza Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:39 am
That pre-election Rauner quote and the subsequent dolling out of checks is an extremely naïve strategy.

Madigan is Madigan because his members trust him. Immensely. That’s trust that has been built on a 35+ year reputation. Old members have never been steered wrong and new members hear stories from others and immediately get with the program BECAUSE…Madigan’s interest and the members interest is the same. Not one inch of daylight between them.

So yes he has “a small pot of money” but its so much more than that. Its a highly effective campaign staff, its political genius, and most of all its trust.

Rauner doesn’t understand that you cant buy that kind of trust. Dems and GOPers wont trust a man with his ideology and a scorched earth strategy.

What was the phrase that signified the private equity strategy? “pump and dump”

Target the acquisition, load it up, and then sell it to your own maximum benefit. That’s doesn’t really fit the political world Rauner got himself into.

Comment by Abe the Babe Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:40 am
BTW — if anyone remembers the old movie ‘A Face in the Crowd’ — with Andy Griffith playing a shrewd but compelling ‘rube’ (who turns out to be anything but) — then this should have been Rauner’s strategy. Not inserting himself in the process — and pretending like he’s a rich guy that can jaw it up by droppin’ g’s and talkin’ common sense.

Rauner’s problem — unlike Griffith in the flick — is that Rauner is neither shrewd nor a rube — so it leaves people scratching their heads, shrugging, and saying: “Well, he’s a businessman. A rich one to boot.”

Okay — but here that’s not compelling. And not particularly charismatic. Maybe the takeaway is that money needs to be available but not up front, not in your face. Rauner needed to find himself a golly-gee rube that would convince people — and would be bankrolled from the dark invisible.

Comment by Frenchie Mendoza Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:46 am
House GOPies try again after being ignored and over shadowed by The Senate Minority Leader…hope someone asked about the BVR checks and the bad votes

Comment by Anonin' Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:46 am
He is who we thought he was

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:47 am
There are two types of GOP GA legislators right now;

Those already molting their first layer of Owl feathers…

… and those in denial that they, when the time comes, can say “no” to the Governor, and be their own Mushroom.

To the latter; you WILL have a “$&@#%” problem. Rauner told you so.

You think a man doling out $400K worth of checks the day before a vote is going to let you off the hook, especially after warning you? No. Way.

Rauner WILL primary GOP members, and Radogno and Durkin can NOT save you.

Rauner will TRY to find Dems that Radogno and Durkin can’t challenge. Rauner, the Republican governor will find Dems to protect, for himself.

Rauner WILL, as a sitting Republican governor, get involved in Democratic primaries, “influencing” seatS, not A seat, seatS, to expand the Raunerite base.

All this, this strategy, this “politics”, this style, is about Blago’s dream, not about the betterment of Illinois.

To the 67, might as well cash the checks. I mean, what are your choices now? “Who” can you turn to?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:52 am
BTW the way Mutt Murphy and Bill Brady got $8K Wheeler only 4

Comment by Anonin' Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:57 am
In the fast paced world Rauner has inhabited, trust based on 30 years of careful building of these relationships is an anachronism.

Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:58 am
Oppies HGOPies just tossed shut out with zero questions

Comment by Anonin' Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:01 pm
OK… so Rauner can exert control over a super-minority of both houses. How does that help him? Unless he, Bruce Rauner — personally or through emissaries — can engage in meaningful diplomacy with Michael Madigan and John Cullerton, his agenda is going nowhere.

I am told that the governor has smart, competent people around him. At this point, I have no reason to doubt that. However, the governor himself has to understand and work within the framework of Illinois state government. He may not like it, he may be working to change it, but there are 10 days left in this session and about 40 days left until a new fiscal year. The governor has not presented a budget, and his process for crafting one has been an utter disaster.

Madigan is driving the debate right now. Sure, some of these votes are “for show”, but only because the governor has not presented legislation. If he has a proposal for RTW, workers comp, etc., then why on earth will he not present them for consideration? Both in vote count and in public perception, the Democrats are winning right now. If Rauner is waiting for them to just give up and let him have everything with no compromises, he is going to be waiting for a long time. And so will the rest of the state.

Comment by Snucka Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:09 pm
“The power of the governorship, if you’re willing to shake it up, is hugely powerful.”

Where has he been since 1998? He ran for office in 2013, after over a decade of watching weak and corrupted governors lose power. The GA has been forced into the role of leadership while Illinois governors perp walked. The idea that he presenting is not the Illinois reality. Rauner is speaking in abstraction. This is also how he seems to create policies as well. It is like he read a book and convinced himself that he could do the job better than Ryan, Blagojevich or Quinn.

Well - those guys were pretty low bars, weren’t they? What effect did a decade of these governors do to the “The power of the governorship?” What they did was diminish that power. It was to have been his job to restore it. How is that to be restored? BY DOING THE JOB CREDIBLY.

After a decade of being shaken up, Illinois doesn’t need more shaking. It needed and thought it was getting mature leadership. That is what it wants.

So if Rauner thinks he can walk right in and assume gubernatorial power - he has the WRONG state. He needed to not only deal with the problems facing us fiscally, he also needed to work to demonstrate and create credibility as a leader.

HE IS NOT DOING THAT.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:21 pm
=What Rauner said about his plan in 2013 reminds me of someone else writing a book about his plan 90 years earlier when he was in prison.=
If that’s true, you have some serious issues.

Comment by Snucka Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:30 pm
I’m embarrassed that he was elected. To blatantly rail against special interest money and then turn around and buy compliance?

Comment by AnonymousOne Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:37 pm
How about a little balanced reporting. It is a well known and proven fact, if you challenge the Speaker, you will face a better funded opponent in your next race. Now the media and democrats cry foul because a republican has the means and will to balance the table.

And lets be clear, he is not tilting the table, he is balancing it. Yea, I don’t think Madigan should be able to dump 500k into a legislative race if you challenge him, but he does it.

Yes, it would have been better for him to tell the speaker to knock it off or else. But the one thing we know about 40 years of Mike Madigan, playing fair is not in his interest.

I find it ironic that after 20 years of corruption and political strong arming by democrats, we want the one branch controlled by a republican to be the one to hold itself to a higher moral standard.

He is an A-hole with 2 billion dollars. He is a smart businessman. I don’t recall seeing anything about a higher moral standard on his resume, if you made that assumption about Bruce Rauner, you probably voted for Blagojevich twice and Quinn once because you believed in their integrity.

Comment by the Patriot Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:45 pm
I’d like to see a list of GOPrs that cashed the checks.

BTW — if Rauner is buying votes, why isn’t he buying the votes that count? The D’s.

What kind of shrewd businessperson buys off the minority?

Comment by Frenchie Mendoza Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:54 pm
His chilling comments of 2013 make me wonder what would happen if he went nuclear and shut down non-essential goverment for say 3 months? Would it not achieve his objectives? He said he would shut down the goverment to stand up to union bosses. Is this the great leverage he is creating? Is this why he’s not putting up any bills on the board, starting the budget negotiations late, touring the state with “Turnaround”? I’m beginning to think this was the plan all along. Great Guru’s your thoughts?

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:55 pm
No expiration date on the check’s?must be 6 months?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 12:59 pm
==BTW — if Rauner is buying votes, why isn’t he buying the votes that count? The D’s.==

‘Cause those votes aren’t for sale.

Not that the Ds are righteous, just that they recognize that if they take Rauner money and vote for RTWFL, they won’t survive a primary.

As it stands, they may not survive a general, but at least they’ll make it that far.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 1:05 pm
=== It is a well known and proven fact, if you challenge the Speaker, you will face a better funded opponent in your next race===

MJM usually tries to win races that are possible to win. I don’t think Rep. Ives had much if any Democratic challenge last year, for example.

Within the party, if you vote for him for Speaker and vote for his rules, he’s not coming after you. Rep. Nekritz voted against his rules several years ago and she got put on the leadership track.

You need to stop reading cartoons.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 1:07 pm
== I don’t recall seeing anything about a higher moral standard on his resume==

He explicitly ran on ending the “100 years of corruption” that MJM was a part of. Adopting MJM’s tactics (which he’s not even doing, but assuming arguendo) doesn’t really accomplish that.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 2:11 pm
@French M. (& speaking of cartoons): Shhhhh. Please don’t give him any ideas.

The Common Man charisma and snake-like shrewdness of Andy G. in “A Face in the Crowd,” backed by the Forces of Bruce and the Dynamic (Koch) Duo? In other words, sort of a smarter, more likable Scott Walker? Now THAT’s the stuff of nightmares. …

Comment by Crispy Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 2:16 pm
Sorry, “Frenchie.”

Comment by Crispy Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 2:31 pm
How much money did Brady get?

Comment by Mama Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 2:34 pm
Have any Dems gotten a check from Rauner yet?

Comment by Mama Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 2:38 pm
bingo!
———–
o, which Democrats got checks?

- MrJM - Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 11:05 am:

The editorial is much more about some self-styled “smart” people’s ability to delude themselves and hear what they want rather than about any duplicity on the part of Bruce Rauner.

– MrJM

Comment by zonz Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 3:57 pm
– I don’t recall seeing anything about a higher moral standard on his resume.–

Huh. You don’t have a TV?

Because you couldnt have missed all those spots for about 18 months before the election if you did.

Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 4:23 pm
I think that it is time to Begin to accept that Rauner isn’t trying to solve the state’s problems.

Maybe he does have presidential ambitions, or maybe he does consider dismantling organized labor his top priority.

But it is hard to discern any reasonable effort to craft a balanced budget on the governor’s part, only an effort to blame his failure to enact budget reforms on Democrats.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 5:11 pm
=== I think that it is time to Begin to accept that Rauner isn’t trying to solve the state’s problems. ===

On target YDD! He’s trying to solve the wealthy’s problems.

YDD, you’ve been a little quiet lately. Hope all is well.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 5:15 pm
He’s following in the Scott Walker path. He figures if he can take on the unions, he can take on ISIS.

Of course, if *can’t* take on the unions, then there’s not much hope for anything else.

Comment by Macbeth Wednesday, May 20, 15 @ 6:05 pm