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Rauner gets the celebrity treatment in Rockford

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Illinois

* Gov. Rauner visited Rockford yesterday…

Gov. Bruce Rauner stopped in Rockford today for a low-key visit with local officials, residents and members of the media.

The Republican governor held court at Prairie Street Brewhouse, going table to table to shake hands and talk with residents about issues that affect the state. He also met with local TV news stations and members of the Rockford Register Star Editorial Board.

The headline on that story was “Gov. Bruce Rauner visits Rockford’s Prairie Street Brewhouse.” The paper also posted several photos of his visit to the local establishment. Maybe the editorial board will do something over the weekend, but it seems odd that there was no reporter in the room who could write something for today’s paper.

* From a local TV interview…

Eighteen months and counting. That is how long the State of Illinois has gone without a budget.

Governor Bruce Rauner was in Rockford Thursday and 13 News anchor Sean Muserallo sat down for a one-on-one interview with him to dig deeper into the things that will affect citizens around the Stateline, including taxes, social services and how the governor views Rockford.

Rauner will give his State of the State Speech at the end of this month.

Right now, the state looks like this: $11 billion in unpaid bills; $130 billion in unfunded pension liability; and a shrinking population, with a loss of nearly 40,000 people from the state last year, the highest in the nation.

Rauner’s plan? Change.

Change, I tells ya. Change.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 10:58 am

Comments

So I turned myself to face me
But I’ve never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I’m much too fast to take that test

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:12 am
I don’t mean this to be snide, but if you were from Rockford you would not be surprised. ‘Journalism’ here is hard to come by.

Comment by Rockford's Finest Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:13 am
Change?
Like what you find in the sofa cushions sometimes?

Comment by titan Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:16 am
The Rauner party correctly notes that all politics are local and the most positive coverage comes when he leaves the Springfield/Chicago political fishbowls.
Local tv and radio reporters unwittingly gush over him. And Bruce loves him some gushin’.
He loves the love.

Comment by Winnin' Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:16 am
===the most positive coverage comes when he leaves the Springfield/Chicago political fishbowls===

You must’ve missed his Chicago rounds this week.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:17 am
I got a little change in my pocket,
goin’ jingle-lingle-langle….
/s

Comment by WhoKnew Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:23 am
And just a few weeks ago Rockford media was rippin’ BigBrain for skippin’ the dedication of the new AAR airport facility? Media memory is amazin’

Comment by Annonin' Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:25 am
===And just a few weeks ago Rockford media was rippin’ BigBrain for skippin’ the dedication of the new AAR airport facility? Media memory is amazin’===

Maybe - Annonin’ -, but no one is out reminding anyone about anything, so there’s that too I guess.

Passive wonderment isn’t messaging.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:27 am
More malpractice from broadcast “journalists.”

@ Winnin’ you should google Bruce’s appearances on the morning “news” shows in Chicago. The stations might as well hire Diana Rauner to interview him. The next time one of them asks a follow-up question will be the first.

Comment by Telly Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:29 am
With all due respect, Rockford’s Finest, if you’re going to complain that “journalism” is hard to come here by, please feel free to apply when a reporter or producer position is open at one of the three stations in the city.

Be part of the solution, not the problem.

Comment by The Big Orange Box Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:29 am
Seriously, is no one going to ask the governor about the Cease Fire cuts?

The Chicago homicide spike is an international story, and certainly the biggest story in the city, by far.

Cease Fire presented a correlation between cuts and the spike that should at least be debated.

Is no one in the Chicago press going to push Rauner off his banal, robotic talking points on the subject? We really don’t need a middleman for press release delivery.

To Chicago media, the only question can be:

“What, would you say, you do here?”

Some naughty language in the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4OvQIGDg4I

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:29 am
Going without a budget is hurting IL residents. IL is spending more for services and commodities that it has to purchase, ie, food for prisons/mental healthcare centers, upkeep of state buildings, and anything else the state has to buy. Since businesses aren’t being paid in a timely manner they are racking up late fees/interest on payment not yet received. And since small businesses can’t afford to float a loan to IL the large businesses can bid more for services because there is less competition.

Comment by ehh Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:33 am
“We’re gonna take the broom of reform and sweep this state clean!” - our very own Homer Stokes.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:40 am
Of course he went Prairie Street Brewhouse. They owe him beer for life since he just re-upped them getting millions in OUR tax money via the recently passed and signed Rivers EDGE tax incentive. He wanted to see the
Brewhouse
The luxury condos
The yacht boat slips
That you the taxpayer subsidized

What did the tax payers get for their millions?
Jobs?
YES
200 low paid non Union temporary construction jobs
Not even a dozen low paid waitress/cook jobs
1 condo sales person
And maybe a condo/dock janitor

Millions.
In our current fiscal shape
Millions. Passed and approved

Silly Illinoisans
Tax money goes to the rich

Comment by Fudo Myoo Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:47 am
“Seriously, is no one going to ask the governor about the Cease Fire cuts?”

This governor is like Teflon when it comes to violence in Illinois. He seems to think this is Rahm’s problem.

Comment by Politix Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 11:56 am
Dear Illinois Democrats, I have become privy to some insider information. Governor Rauner is going to give a speech on the state of the state soon. I think there’s a chance he could blame you for the worsening of conditions in the state since he became Governor. I think the media may cover this speech. If you start getting messages out now, maybe you could impact how people perceive the speech and maybe even force him to address issues that are important to you. It’s even possible to make the issues something the media will ask about and write about. I have one other idea on how to handle this but it might not be as good: wait until you hear what he says and then do your best to reply based on the conversation he has framed. /s

Comment by Earnest Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 12:10 pm
Well, to be more precise, Rauner can be quite charmin’ to reporters who aren’t followin’ him around on a daily basis and know his schtick.
I would add that the recent loss of Sfld bureau reporters and the loss of institutional memory gives Rauner an opportunity to run the Alfred E. Newman (”Who, me?”) strategy and get away with it.
Now more than ever, he’s for reform and the problem is Madigan.
Those two out-of-balance budgets he introduced: “Who, me?”

Comment by Winnin' Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 12:21 pm
Ok he wants change. Will some reporter please ask him point blank what his plans are to increase revenue?

Comment by oldman Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 1:59 pm
Wordslinger never fails to add substance.

Comment by walker Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 3:11 pm
Meh. Rockford has always fallen for Cheap Tricks.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 3:48 pm