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Rauner appears exasperated by latest Kirk gaffe

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Asked Monday to weigh in on U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk’s recent characterization of President Barack Obama as the nation’s “drug dealer in chief,” Gov. Bruce Rauner literally threw up his hands.

“I heard something about that,” Rauner said. “I don’t want to comment on that.” […]

“I will say that the senator has been a strong advocate, I think a good advocate, for trying to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power,” Rauner said of Kirk, a Republican ally who helped him win election in 2014. “And I applaud him for that work. And also, I’ll make one other general statement and that is I am strongly, strongly opposed to ransom payments of any type for hostages.”

Pressed to address Kirk’s comment about President Obama more specifically, Rauner repeatedly raised his hands in air as he tried to shrug off the questions.

“I won’t comment on word selection,” he said at one point.

You should really watch the video for the full impact. [Fixed link.]

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:29 am

Comments

1.4% owns the IHOP and Kirk is running a state wide campaign under the IHOP umbrella. If 1.4% is exasperated by Kirk’s loose lips, 1.4% ought to find a baby sitter to keep him under wraps.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:36 am
When someone in your own party says as dumb as Kirk it is best to just shrug and not answer.

Comment by Federalist Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:36 am
The Party of Trump

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:38 am
I happy to learn that I was not the only one that failed to understand the connection.

Comment by Keyser Soze Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:45 am
“strongly opposed to ransom payments of any type for hostages”

Unlike votes for his turn around agenda? Rauner again displays a critical lack of self reflection.

Comment by Vole Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:50 am
Trump followed by Kirk on the ticket.. I think Bruce better send another $20 mil to the legislative committees

Comment by Not Rich Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:52 am
I long for a day when politicians on both sides of the aisle can just be candid and honest without any repercussions from their own party.

I don’t blame Rauner for tapdancing around this one. I really don’t. It is just a shame that the political environment wouldn’t allow for him to say “I thought that it was not only a poor analogy but also an unfortunate word choice” and be done with it.

Of course, that is assuming that Rauner feels that way, which is not a small assumption.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 11:55 am
Didnt see a video in the link?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:01 pm
===I am strongly, strongly opposed to ransom payments of any type for hostages===

Then he understands why the Democrats won’t go along with his Turnaround Agenda. Good.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:01 pm
Thanks, Vole, for getting there first. So interesting that the Gov does not believe in paying ransoms for hostages, but he does believe in Wedges ,

Comment by Pawn Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:05 pm
===Then he understands why the Democrats won’t go along with his Turnaround Agenda. Good.===

Great stuff there, - 47th Ward -, well said.

To the Post,

Rauner can’t hide how he’s feeling right now with Kirk. Kirk can’t help his own self-destruction, and when Kirk’s Krew cleans up one mess, another appears, and it’s once again self-inflicted.

The absolute worst thing for a campaign is when the candidate continues to hurt themselves. Campaigns can handle attacks, policy attacks and personal attacks. That’s a campaign. When the campaign continues to struggle from within, starting with the candidate, yikes.

I’m sure the Kirk Krew feels helpless. I know I would.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:11 pm
I want leaders with strong egos, but still grounded in reality. Kirk gives no sign he can do the job well. But insists on staying.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:23 pm
Rauner has said plenty of bad things about the president. But probably more artfully.

Comment by Albany Park Patriot Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:25 pm
So he agrees with what Kirk said but not how he said it. This wall of post-it notes is getting awful hard to keep organized.

Comment by Touré's Latte Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:43 pm
Keep in mind Rauner resisted the effort to replace Kirk on the ballot

Comment by Not Alan Keyes Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:48 pm
Rauner owns Kirk. Republican should have listened to Gidwitz who wanted Kirk dumped. Rauner’s intervention saved Kirk for the slaughter. If the GOP continues to follow Rauner, it’ll suffer the same fate as Kirk. They are on the path. Dem’s, take heart!

Comment by Truthteller Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 12:58 pm
Let’s see how long it takes a reporter to ask the Governor why he’s so “strongly, strongly opposed to ransom payments of any type for hostages” in this instance, but not when it comes to the budget and the turnaround agenda.

Comment by GA Watcher Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:00 pm
Word choice should be a strength of anyone running for office. Kirk sure doesn’t have it any more. From the “bro with no ho” comment to insulting a sitting president like he just did, he is showing no ability to sit in Congress. I hope his days in office are numbered.

Comment by Big Joe Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:07 pm
This…

===Keep in mind Rauner resisted the effort to replace Kirk on the ballot.===

… and this.

===Rauner owns Kirk.===

No. If anything, Rauner OWES Kirk.

Rauner’s Crew was littered with one after the other of Kirk operatives. Kirk’s people were and continue to be the “backbone” of the Rauner Crew infastructure.

If anything, I respect Gov. Rauner for understanding he needed to, and must continue to, back Kirk, 100%.

Refusing to see this dynamic, that Kirk holds the chit, and Kirk is cashing it now… that’s why there may be confusion why Rauner is “stuck”.

Without Kirk and Kirk’s infastructure, Rauner may not be where he is. Rauner owes Kirk.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:19 pm
OW I agree that Rauner owes Kirk. But Kirk owes us. He should declare himself unfit for duty.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:24 pm
===But Kirk owes us. He should declare himself unfit for duty.===

Kirk is putting himself up for re-election. Come November, the voters will have their say, as we should. Democracy in action.

With respect.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:27 pm
>Let’s see how long it takes a reporter to ask the Governor why he’s so “strongly, strongly opposed to ransom payments of any type for hostages” in this instance, but not when it comes to the budget and the turnaround agenda.

I think he’s strongly opposed to ransom payments even for his turnaround agenda. He could have gotten parts of it, but took a pass. If he got what he wanted, he would move the goalposts. He is accomplishing his agenda with great skill, destroying the human services system, higher education system, and digging the state budgetary hole deeper and deeper, accumulating all types of leverage.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:27 pm
Does anyone expect anything better of a governor and a senator who support the GOP presidential candidate they are responsible for getting nominated? Yes, their sort of firebrand, never compromise, attitude is what led to the Trump phenomenon.

Comment by Delimma Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:33 pm
===Rauner owns Kirk. Republican should have listened to Gidwitz who wanted Kirk dumped

What other Republicans could win? Seriously, who has a better chance than Kirk?

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 1:39 pm
Kirk does not support Trump.

Bruce Rauner supports Donald Trump for President.

- Delimma -

Here’s what I think is at play here, and it includes Munger too.

Kirk holds a chit with Rauner, and to Rauner’s credit, Rauner is doing all he can to help Kirk across the finish line.

Munger owes Rauner. To HER credit, Munger is doing all she can to support Rauner, while trying to step out of Rauner’s shadow where she can, but not in a way to disparage Rauner.

These three, Rauner, Kirk, Munger, are all interwoven in this Raunerite circle, a tight circle, including operatives and donors, including Rauner almost single-handedly funding the entire, from soup to nuts, GOP apparatus.

I get it. I do.

What is so exasperating for me, and speaking only for me, I’d diversity in party to promote growth is being usurped by Rauner, his monies, his agenda, and the belief that controlling the apparatus is more important than growing the party and moving an agenda that can get 60 and 30.

Kirk, Rauner, and Munger are the clear center of all things Rauner, and the owing to Kirk by Rauner, and the owing of Rauner by Munger puts the party in a fix that instead of three actors working in concert, you have one central dynamic trying to curb everyone going outside the Rauner wants and requirements…

Then there are the Caucuses… lol.

With respect, OW

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 2:00 pm
“What other Republicans could win? Seriously, who has a better chance than Kirk?”

What’s Ambassador Keyes up to these days?

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 2:14 pm
@OW - while I agree with you, in part, my issue is not whether either tacitly supports Trump, but that the voter fervor that led to their election in the first place is the same voter fervor that the GOP has fomented for decades, and which has led directly to Trump.

Yes, the mainstream media (i.e. right wing media) played a massive part, but every GOP candidate for years and years has played into the fears of people in order to get votes. Trump is the logical result of those efforts.

Comment by Delimma Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 2:19 pm
I’m tired of this deliberate twisting of what he said.

“We can’t have the president of the United States acting like drug dealer in chief. Giving clean packs of money to a state sponsor of terror.”

Obama did that. Kirk said doing that is like what a drug dealer does. Disagree on how he said it, but Kirk wasn’t talking about Obama. He was talking about the stacks of cash paying off the bad guys.

The rest is politics and squabbling.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 2:25 pm
===Disagree on how he said it, but Kirk wasn’t talking about Obama. He was talking about the stacks of cash paying off the bad guys.===

So complying with the terms of a multi-national deal that required Iran to give up its stockpile of fissile material and, in exchange and among other things, have its assets unfrozen, you think that equates to “giving stacks of cash to bad guys.”

You and Kirk share a simplistic understanding of foreign relations.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 2:51 pm
Because when I want foreign policy expertise, I go to Rauner and Kirk, two people who have utterly no knowledge or expertise and can’t think their way out of paper bags much less speak intelligently about it.

Comment by Chucktownian Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 3:17 pm
===“giving stacks of cash to bad guys.”

Returning money at a cut rate of interest that we have owed since 1979. Fixed that for you. Seriously, the entire outrage is born out of ignorance.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 3:30 pm
SJ-R must have pulled the video. I went to their homepage and it doesn’t work there either.

Comment by Dead Head Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 3:59 pm
Kirk was doing Rauner a favor?

I read it as Kirk’s staff abandoning ship.

Kirk is also the firewall between Trump and Munger.

Can’t imagine many folks voting

Clinton
Duckworth
Munger

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 4:21 pm
Has Gidwitz been allowed to get off his knees yet?

Comment by Daniel Plainview Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 5:08 pm
Who does Mark Kirk think is going to vote for him now?

Comment by Cheryl44 Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 5:50 pm
Bruce doesn’t want to comment on that…. I think if you pull up some of Bruce Rauner’s video tape, with tid bits of his genius prose, it might be good for a long laugh!

Comment by Tinsel Town Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 6:12 pm
VM - With all respect, your argument is premised on the fact that we simply “gave” the Iranians $400M. It ignores the reality the reality that we’ve been sitting on this since 1979 AND if the money was not returned we would have likely been ordered to pay interest jumping the payment up to over $1B.

Once the context of the transaction is understood the analogy makes absolutely no sense. And all that I can infer from it is that for some reason Kirk decided to label the President as a “drug dealer” (not sure what that gets him) and he felt compelled to completely distort what occurred here.

I’m not sure what he could do to walk back his comments on the President. But if he really feels that the $400M payment should not have been made given what it represented and the consequences non-payment would bring, then he should articulate it.

Comment by pundent Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 6:58 pm
Sadly the intricacies of the $400 million are lost on most. Kirk could have easily expressed his distaste for the “payoff” in realistic terms that made him sound like he grasped what occurred but at the same time didn’t like it. Instead he chose to use a ridiculous analogy that diminishes the President and shows a lack of thought for a US Senate candidate. His comments are better for a radio show host as opposed to a serious US Senator.
I have to agree Rauner is stuck with Kirk, he owes him. Credit to the Gov for leaving the dance with who brought you. If not for Kirk’s crew coming in and being part of the team we very well could be with PQ still.

Comment by DuPage Bard Tuesday, Aug 23, 16 @ 10:44 pm
- Dilemma -

Trump tapped into about 38-43% of the discontent of, what appears to be a majority comprising non-college educated white males.

No party, Democrats or Republicans, can just win anything winning only that dynamic.

- YDD -

Good point, but doing Kirk a favor and saving Munger, they aren’t mutually exclusive.

It’s part of the Raunering of the ILGOP.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 7:30 am
Re: Kirk
Somebody send Mark a memo that the primary is over, and you won!
The consolation prize is Duckworth. It’s like HTC and DT, whoever wins, we all lose.

Comment by Stick a fork in him Wednesday, Aug 24, 16 @ 10:03 am