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Has the pivot finally arrived?

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Illinois

* From the governor’s campaign…

This November, it’s not Republican v. Democrat — it’s reform v. status quo.

That’s the bottom line.

In spite of Illinois’ career politicians and their obstructionist ways, progress is being made. Last week Governor Bruce Rauner signed a new law that makes county board members ineligible to receive a state pension. This new law will save taxpayers millions of dollars.

That’s not the only good news. Massachusetts-based Richelieu Foods is opening a factory in Wheeling, Ill., bringing new jobs to the state. Read more about these and other successes below.

This is a critical time for Illinois. We have to choose — the status quo or reform. A failing state or a path forward. Voters will get their opportunity soon; early voting starts in just three weeks. More information about early voting is included below.

- Team Rauner

* Rick Pearson dissects…

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign team is seeking to re-label the partisan impasse that has stifled state government ahead of the Nov. 8 Illinois House and Senate races. […]

Rauner’s reframing began during the Illinois State Fair when he blasted the “machine” but didn’t use the term Democrat or the name of his chief nemesis, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. The reframing could be a way for Rauner to try to seek crossover Democratic support without routinely demonizing the opposing party.

That’s pretty good stuff.

I’d add that after over 3 years of constant Illinois bashing, the governor is now pivoting to good economic news of his own doing. As I’ve pointed out before, Rauner’s poll numbers ain’t great, so he needs to boost them to keep himself from becoming a liability to his Republican legislative candidates. It would be nearly impossible for Speaker Madigan to do the same, so any advantage Rauner can get would be helpful.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:10 am

Comments

One mans so-called *reform* is another mans Government Entitlement Program. For instance, Mortgage Welfare benefits the top 1% of Wage Earners more so than the Middle Class. And there is no push to Drug Test people who are on that program.

So, I’m not interested in what Bruce has to say.

Comment by Doug Simpson Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:14 am
Could someone tell how the new law banning IMRF from most CB members will save millions? It is my impression that only a few counties had been doing this? Am I wrong?

Comment by Pius Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:21 am
If … the pivot ALSO includes a willingness to compromise, that is good news.

In any case, he’s not running the State down as much recently.

Comment by RNUG Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:23 am
Had Rauner began his term with this kind of framing I’d be more inclined to believe he can garner some cross-over support. But, in my opinion, he stayed with the Madigan/dem/state bashing way too long to make a difference now.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:23 am
The politics is 100% better.

===Rauner’s poll numbers ain’t great, so he needs to boost them to keep himself from becoming a liability to his Republican legislative candidates.===

This. Ball game. The 2014 framing, so far, has been micro proxy wars. Rauner needs to be enough “better” than Madigan, but without demonizing Democrats so moderates and soft Dems decide to stay on the Raunerite train.

Rauner needs to BE likeable.

It wasn’t an accident the seven-figure Rauner “positive” ad bug during session. The Pros in the Rauner Shop knew and know, Rauner can’t be a liability when going after Mike Madigan.

The trick will be getting Democrats and Labor to splinter just a wee bit in micro races where Labor can be a huge difference in slim margins for greater impact.

Governors own… Governors own the good too, Rauner Crew! lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:25 am
- Pius -

If you project it out over a typical retirement, you can project millions. Of course, the “savings” are only seen by the court ties and municipalities that did have their board members in IMRF.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:26 am
Reform vs. Status Quo?

Let me try to understand the Governors argument.

So when was it status quo to not pay contractor with the state?

So when was it status quo to cause the loss of thousands of private social service agency jobs?

So when was it status quo to starve higher education and state agencies of operating funds?

So when was it status quo to effect over a million Illinois residents by destroying and cutting the services they need and depend on?

So when was it reform to continue giving out EDGE tax incentives to large corporations that pay very little if nothing in corporate income tax, that rob our revenue coffers to the tune of 215,000,000 in 2015?

So when was it reform to constantly attack our state workforce, causing en masse retirements and departures for other jobs?

So when was it reform to care only for the interests of the monied elite and engage in perfidious operations that result in homebound seniors getting Meals on Wheels cut back?

No, if anything this election is not about reform vs. status quo.

This election is about the Privileged Malignantly Callous engaging in perfidy against good tax paying residents of Illinois just trying to survive in an environment created by Rauner to facilitate their destruction, thus enabling him to dictate the terms of reconstruction.

That’s what this is all about.

Comment by Honeybear Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:30 am
A pivot?

Perhaps.

Or is it yet another twist in Rauner’s endless OODA Looping?

– MrJM

https://capitolfax.com/2015/12/14/these-loops-aint-fruity/

Comment by @MisterJayEm Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:38 am
In Jan. 2015, the backlog of state bills was $4.4 billion. Moody’s projects the backlog will be a record $14 billion at the end of FY17.

The FY16 budget had a $3.8 billion deficit. The FY17 budget has a $7.8 billion deficit.

All that fiscal irresponsibility, and the state is still stiffing state vendors and gutting higher ed, with no infrastructure plan in sight.

Thats the current state of affairs (the definition of “status quo”). I’m all for “reforming” the “status quo.”

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:38 am
“Governor Rauner wants to burn down the house and calls it reform.”

“What kind of reform turns homeless kids out on the street?”

“Reform? Is that what you call refusing to introduce a budget?”

ETC.

It’s a nice messaging change, but we’re getting to the point where 90% of Rauner’s accomplishments are messaging related. He’s still gotta do something.

Comment by Anon Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:41 am
This will fail when the public discovers the reforms really are the recycled failed status quo of the Tea Party Republicans.

Comment by Chicago 20 Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:44 am
So, it took him 20 months to figure this out? At this rate, he’ll learn how to successfully govern by the time we celebrate Illinois’ TriCentennial.

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:52 am
He hasn’t got much choice. D vs R is a loser for the Rs, statewide at least. This is more of a rebranding than a reframing, and whether it sticks depends on how many buy his definition of “reform.”

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 10:53 am
I suggest that it is “too little, too late,” for Rauner’s version of reform.

He has started a nice conversation, however.

Farther and beside all the great points made above, about the damage he has caused, there is also the extremely creepy dark money activity, bottomless resources of a plutocrat, and heavy-handed thuggery ($20m threat, “if you like your prison, you will play along) that has defined his true message.

Comment by cdog Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 11:35 am
Golly gee Gomer Tribbies think it is a pivot so it must a pivot…we think some have been duped..
BigBrain attacks are not helping . ducking Trump has not worked…we are guessin’ he tries this so folks don’t run away before 18.
Btw the “machine” has been gone since mid70s

Comment by Annonin' Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 11:40 am
Good insight. This message shift is long overdue.

One thing you can say about Bruce Rauner — he’s a slow learner of ways to push his own agenda successfully.

Comment by walker Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 11:43 am
On Sept 5 the Guv tweeted this nice sentiment about supporting the development of small businesses

https://mobile.twitter.com/GovRauner/status/772892968378400770/photo/1

On September 6, the very next day, Crains and others report on how many of the State Small Business Development Centers are shutting down because of lack of state funding. This program is funded with federal dollars and a state match. So not only are we losing federal dollars, we are losing resources that help develop small businesses.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160906/NEWS02/160909961/small-biz-centers-closing-because-of-state-budget-woes

Talk is cheap. So is spin. Gonna be tough to campaign when the state is a soldering mess of wreckage. If the Guv doesn’t have any real achievements then all he has is the blame game. It’s not his fault. He just got here.

Comment by Henry Francis Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 12:07 pm
The status quo is Rauner’s now…

Comment by Liberty Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 12:13 pm
I see only a change in messaging. New flag, same points of attack.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 12:16 pm
Maybe I’m missing something in the message, but Rauner *is* the status quo right now.

I’m all for reforms, but it ain’t Rauner that’s gonna get it done.

For me, it’s all about who I’d rather play poker with. I *don’t* want to play with someone that’s difficult to read.

I *do* want to play with someone that’s gonna go on tilt every other hand, only bets his best hand, and has ticks and tells galore. That’s Rauner. It certainly isn’t Madigan.

Madigan says, “Bobby, come over, play some poker.”

My response: “Thanks, but no.”

Comment by Bobby Catalpa Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 12:41 pm
As a State worker, Rauner still wants to double my healthcare costs, freeze my pay and ultimately sub contract my job so he could enrich his friends. The only thing that has changed is tone. I prefer the strait forward Rauner to the current one who puts a smiley face and a “I’m here to help” on the same agenda he’s had all along.

Comment by DHSJim Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 1:43 pm
This Governor is not for pivoting (sadly). He has the ideological motivations of Scott Walker but without the political skill. He will bang on until the end of his term, to our great collective cost.

Comment by peon Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 1:46 pm
I hope you’re right peon. I don’t want this governor to be successful in carrying out his agenda. It would be a bad one for me and many others in this State.

Comment by DHSJim Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 1:54 pm
…now if he’s willing to compromise on his agenda and give labor some of what they want and we give him some of what he wants, and if we could trust that he’s not out to destroy us, then that’s a different story.

Comment by DHSJim Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 2:06 pm
No specifics, just statements, “reforms” name them, give the savings with your data to back it up. He has cost this state much more than his “reforms” will save and the damage that has been done by his quest will take decades to repair.

Comment by burbanite Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 3:31 pm
The Status Quo has needed to change for a long time in the once great state of Illinois…Spend and Tax only works for so long. The lack of political will to levy the taxes to provide revenues and cover all the benefits heaped on over the years created the tipping point. Spending has to come back to some sort of fiscal reality. Apparently, there isn’t the stomach to raise income corporate and other taxes to the point where ILL can cover its bills.

Comment by NorthsideNoMore Friday, Sep 9, 16 @ 4:01 pm