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Rauner throws brush-back pitch at GOP predecessors

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Facing criticism from two past Republican governors in recent days, Gov. Bruce Rauner pushed back Thursday, saying Illinois faces harder challenges than when Govs. Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar were in office.

“I don’t spend any time criticizing my fellow Republicans,” Rauner told reporters today. “I do not spend any time criticizing decisions made in the past that created the mess that we’re dealing with.”

…Adding… From comments…

Wasn’t he the guy who said something like a third of GA Republicans were corrupt, too?

Yep.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:00 am

Comments

Egotistical and arrogant. Rauner’s got all the answers and lives inside a communication bubble where nothing gets through except from his echo chamber.

Comment by Aldyth Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:02 am
“I do not spend any time criticizing decisions made in the past that created the mess that we’re dealing with.”

The governor paused briefly and then added, “Because Madigan.”

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:02 am
Translation: I’m not interested in thoughtful advice from people that are my natural allies and who have meaningful experience. I’m Bruce Rauner!

Comment by slow down Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:03 am
– I don’t spend any time criticizing my fellow Republicans…–

Who was that impostor during the campaign?

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:04 am
Good one, MrJM.

Comment by Keyrock Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:04 am
Wasn’t he the guy who said something like a third of GA Republicans were corrupt, too?

Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:04 am
“I also don’t spend my time trying to govern the state.”

Comment by D.P.Gumby Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:05 am
“…my fellow Republicans”.

Rauner is a comedian too? Who knew?

Comment by Roadiepig Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:06 am
“I don’t spend any time criticizing my fellow Republicans,” Rauner told reporters today. “I do not spend any time criticizing decisions made in the past that created the mess that we’re dealing with.”

Unless I can blame it on Madigan and the Democrats that he controls.

There, fixed it for ya Brucie.

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:07 am
Rauner is not a Republican.

Rauner is a Raunerite that hijacked the ILGOP, leveraged the GOP GA, and trotted out Edgar and his personal cache like a prop…

… let alone calling 1/3 of the GOP GA corrupt.

Rauner couldn’t feasibly run as an Indie. Hijacking the ILGOP was just too easy.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:13 am
Rauner couldn’t leave it well enough alone. He then went on to criticize the pension ramp, and skipped pension funding, as major problems his predecessors created.

Comment by walker Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:14 am
It’s a good thing he has those dogs because he is rapidly running out of friends.

Comment by And I Approved This Message Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:15 am
Wow, with friends like this who needs enemas.

Comment by Carhartt Representative Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:19 am
Well done - Arsenal - with reminding us all of the “1/3 of the GOP GA is corrupt”… according to the Raunerite.

OW

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:21 am
Rauner is correct on this again. Edgar is a key architect of the situation we find ourselves in today. The current pension payment ramp up was never even close to being possible. The payments need to be reamortized.

Comment by Tone Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:24 am
==Egotistical and arrogant.==

But enough about Edgar and Thompson

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:24 am
Please inform me, your royal teflon holiness, when you get around to dealing with the mess instead of creating a bigger one.

Comment by Vole Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:25 am
Rauner is and always has been traveling in a parallel universe. His reality is viewed through the prism of his monetary success. “If I can do it, others have no excuse for not doing it and gain no sympathy from me. If you don’t see things my way, you need a different prism.”

Comment by ottawa otter Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:26 am
He doesn’t criticize Republicans? Another turnaround!

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:27 am
Bruce Rauner pushed back Thursday, saying Illinois faces harder challenges than when Govs. Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar were in office.

Good governors make tough challenges look easy. Bad governors make tough challenges look harder than they are.

Besides - was there ever a time when Bruce couldn’t just dump one of his tough challenges into one of his lawyer’s laps in bankruptcy court? When did Rauner ever personally handle a tough challenge that his smiles, millions and promises couldn’t fix?

Governing means turning tough challenges into solutions. Thompson and Edgar did that. Edgar worked his way into coronaries doing it, nearly dying. I don’t recall anytime during his two terms in office that Jim Edgar ever used his heart as an excuse that he wasn’t doing his job.

Nice to know Rauner has a catalog of excuses ready at this disposal anytime his new job demands any gubernatorial accountabilities.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:28 am
Looking forward to seeing who is going to clean up Rauner’s mess…the biggest mess of all in the shortest time in history.

Comment by Austin Blvd Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:28 am
Do not feed ” - Anonymous - ” trolls…

To the Post,

Rauner is sounding more and more like Queeg, everyone is wrong and/or out to get him, a victim and prisoner to his own self-righteous world he created… for himself.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:29 am
Being Governor is a very exclusive club. Rauner would be wise to listen to and take advice from his predecessors. Heck, even US Presidents occasionally call on their predecessors for advice. Egotistical and arrogant indeed.

Comment by Stones Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:31 am
Ah, returning to the good old days of Republican infighting. Cue the creation of a formal GA Freedom Caucus here.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:32 am
===The payments need to be reamortized. ===

I don’t disagree, but the governor has a different (unpassable) idea and won’t even mention yours.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:33 am
–dont spend time criticizing decisions made in the past–

Except for that $2 mil ad campaign doing zackly that, right?

Comment by Langhorne Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:35 am
Rauner is used to having a “board of directors” made up of his fellow wealthy friends. They would tell him what a great job he does moving money around. He doesn’t seem to have that friendly board of directors in state government. i guess the House Repubs might be as friendly as it gets, but for how long?

Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:35 am
Rauner is searching for the key and the corrupt officers and crew are keeping him from ensuring the ship doesn’t sink.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:38 am
GA Freedom Caucus? Already done. The founding members are the 10 House GOPs who voted against Mautino.

Comment by Dance Band on the Titanic Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:38 am
- Norseman -, the circling and cutting the buoy tether (Turnaround and Anti-Union tour, that started in Decatur) was the first signal…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:41 am
The biggest point thompson and edgar were making is that a gov has to negotiate in good faith, bring people together, and compromise, to get a deal done for the good of the entire state.

Instead, rauner is playing a zero sum game. It isnt enuf for him to win, unions have to lose. Btw, get radogno on the phone, she is off message, and sounded too reasonable.

Comment by Langhorne Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:43 am
Gov. Rauner, playing victim…again. His script: I’ve got a tougher situation to deal with then Edgar and Thompson did. His role as victim continues to grow.

Comment by Former Hoosier Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:44 am
If you don’t have anything nice to say about hostage take’n then stop talk’n. Edgar and Thompson don’t know how to get the economy boom’n, they just like the status quo and are corrupt and controlled by Madigan and the union bosses, oh and trial lawyers and all other special interests which includes everyone but my supporters and the ILL Policy Institute.

Comment by GOP Extremist Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:47 am
“I do not spend any time criticizing decisions made in the past that created the mess that we’re dealing with.”

…but Madigan

Comment by Person 8 Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:47 am
“I’ve got a tougher situation (that I created myself” than they had.”

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:49 am
If only Mike Madigan and the former Republican governors he controls would go along with everything I want, this would all work out just fine.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:49 am
If Rauner wanted to he could probably spend an afternoon ripping the Edgar pension ramp and all the pension enhancements passed by Thompson and Edgar.

Comment by Ahoy! Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:56 am
On a more serious note, combining the former govs and Radogno’s comments from this morning, it’s pretty clear the governor is becoming increasingly isolated.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 10:56 am
“GA Freedom Caucus? Already done. The founding members are the 10 House GOPs…”
Please lets us not give Ives and the WhackJobs she wants to control any celebrity. Now they ight odering their own hoddies
And let us never forget it is Rauner who hasw never provided any credible information to support his claim that he did not know master fixer Stu Levine while Stu was hauling down $30K a month. Keep In mind Stu has a 25+ year history of being a glad handing gadfly who talked with anyone who would buy a cup of coffee.

Comment by Anonin' Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 11:02 am
=== If Rauner wanted to he could probably spend an afternoon ripping the Edgar pension ramp and all the pension enhancements passed by Thompson and Edgar. ===

Which is as productive as anything else Rauner is doing. Rauner’s 10 month tenure has been a disaster.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 11:03 am
Rauner doesn’t critcize past Republican governors for the mess he inherited? That statement is criticism. Besides at least those men did their jobs. Their comments about Rauner focus on his refusal to do the job for which he ran and was elected.

Comment by Wensicia Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 11:19 am
“I do not spend any time criticizing decisions made in the past that created the mess that we’re dealing with.”

See what I did there? I said I don’t criticize decisions in the same sentence I criticized their decisions. Man, I am good.

Comment by Montrose Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 11:23 am
Thompson and Edgar cut unaffordable labor deals, sweetened pensions, shortchanged the pension funds, and are now “statesmen” offering “tsk tsk” condemnation of their fellow Republican? Only in Illinois.

Comment by Chicago parent Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 11:32 am
@chicago parent:

Bruce says you make too much money!

Comment by Jack Stephens Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 11:38 am
Chicago parent:

No, they are pragmatists. That’s a foreign concept to some of you.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 11:57 am
Chicago Parent- and Governor Rauner then proposed to shortchange the pension funds by $2.2 billion.

Comment by Juice Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 12:33 pm
I wonder how many of those Republican legislators really believe any of the “Democrats are on the run” message. We know they all, Democrats and Republicans, are sheep but they do share a common gene for doing what is necessary to get re-elected and have no qualms about throwing just about anyone under the bus in order to retain their positions.

Comment by Buzzie Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 12:44 pm
The comments here are sure different than those on the Trib’s story on its website. It’s unfortunate, but I suspect true, that the, uh, inconsistencies in Rauner’s logic, methods, and stories are not yet clear to most of the public.

Comment by Keyrock Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 12:52 pm
==Radogno’s comments from this morning==

Hasn’t Rauner already said we may need to increase taxes? iirc, he also suggested some new ones?

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 2:15 pm
Edgar is a buffoon. Thompson is not much better. Advice from either is worthless. Look where we are today.

Comment by Tone Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 6:21 pm
Laughable all the time spent criticizing two past GOP guvs that have not set a meaningful foot in the dome in 17-25 years. Their opinions are inconsequential to just about anyone still in the game…..The Dems rock stars the hair piece and Fenwicks finest went merrily along and spent this State into oblivion instead of doing anything to stop the hemmoraging.

Comment by the Cardinal Thursday, Oct 22, 15 @ 8:22 pm