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Today’s quotable

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Illinois

Most politicians would see a $50 million deposit into a campaign fund as a threat, but Gov. Bruce Rauner has a different interpretation of his contribution to his re-election bid, saying it’s about encouraging “bipartisan compromise.”

“I am focused on fundamentally changing the trajectory of our state. The system is broken, we’ve been going down a bad road for a long time. What I am advocating is bipartisan compromise to get solutions,” Rauner said Monday.

Interrupted and asked how $50 million encourages bipartisan compromise, Rauner said: “We need to be a two-party state. Politics, democracy doesn’t work on a one-party basis. We were a one-party state for a long time, it almost bankrupted us.

“Two thirds of the elections for the General Assembly, there was no opponent. That doesn’t work,” he said at a breakfast event Monday morning. “Voters, whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, you deserve competition for your vote, you deserve alternative and competing ideas and recommendations so then you have a choice. People in Illinois don’t have choices, and I am an advocate for competition and alternatives.”

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:23 am

Comments

===Interrupted and asked how $50 million encourages bipartisan compromise, Rauner said: “We need to be a two-party state. Politics, democracy doesn’t work on a one-party basis. We were a one-party state for a long time, it almost bankrupted us.===

Rauner believes this, 100%, and I believe he believes this too. No doubt.

The rub is… the two-party system is Democrats…

…and Bruce Rauner, Richard Uihlein, Ken Griffin… and Democrat Diana Rauner.

Bruce didn’t tell Republicans that the second party wasn’t the Republican Party.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:31 am
I am going to stop calling him Gov. 1.4% and start calling him Gov. Gaslight. Because that statement — and nearly everything he says — is classic gaslighting. Unbelievable.

Comment by Nick Name Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:34 am
So, in a state that was essentially single party monopoly for the last several years or so, $50 million into the campaign coffers of a rival political party is not a political threat … um, OK.

Comment by titan Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:34 am
=== Politics, democracy doesn’t work on a one-party basis.” ===

There is only one Democrat on the DuPage County Board. If Rauner believes in that principle about two-party competition being in the public interest, then he should support more balance between the parties in a county that Clinton carried.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:34 am
BigBrain does not even understand what he is sayin’ no less believe. He sees or says he sees no connection between his actions, thus his total failure to do anything and now his sudden shift to find accomplishes.
It will be fun to see how this work and how it works in context of the madman pig in the WH

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:35 am
OK, then start proposing some meaningful ideas about how to get the budget into balance.

It sounds like there might have been some progress on that front recently, hey, better late than never I suppose. It’s only now three years into your administration.

Comment by ZC Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:37 am
Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar, George Ryan — we were a bipartisan state for a great many years. Until this election we had one Dem and one GOP Senator (and have done that many times in the past) In all those years we had a budget. Yes, many on here will howl that it’s all Madigan, but the facts say differently.

Comment by Not quite a majority Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:39 am
>Voters, whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, you deserve competition for your vote, you deserve alternative and competing ideas and recommendations so then you have a choice.

Agree strongly. I wish our Governor also believed in independence of the Executive and Legislative branches of government though.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:47 am
Nick Name @ 9:34 ===I am going to stop calling him Gov. 1.4% and start calling him Gov. Gaslight. Because that statement — and nearly everything he says — is classic gaslighting. Unbelievable.===

Bingo! And there’s a direct correlation between the intensity of gaslighting and the number of “g”s being dropped. “Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice, drop a g.”

Comment by Dome Gnome Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:51 am
Superficial, so he thinks he can beat Edgar in the primary?

Comment by Rabid Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 9:56 am
Sorry but the facts are the facts. Illinois finances deteriorated significantly under one party rule and Governor Blagoevichs tenure.

Quinn was able to raise revenue but not reduce spending by consolidating the record units of government. We have to restore economic growth in our state. We have fewer people working in our state than in the year 2000

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160311/BLOGS02/160319962/states-job-growth-much-better-than-rauner-said

Why else would such a blue state have a Republican Governor? Voters have rejected one party rule and expect compromise

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:01 am
Edgar isn’t running.

===He sees or says he sees no connection between his actions, thus his total failure to do anything and now his sudden shift to find accomplishes.===

… and yet Democrats, by osmosis I’m guessing, thinks people will be given the Democratic perspective to ridiculousness like this?

The silence is deafening.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:01 am
Anybody else see shades of Roger Goodell when Rauner addresses the media?

Bland nothingness that ignores or denies disturbing realities.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:11 am
If any reasonable republican beat Rauner in the primary, would he throw his support behind the nominee?

Comment by Rabid Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:14 am
As Bruce is packing up the mansion to move to the fairgrounds, by chance find a copy of Rod’s playbook- “I am an advocate for competition and alternatives.”

Comment by Sigh Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:14 am
== The silence is deafening. ==

And as a Democrat it’s absolutely enraging.

I appreciate how hard the party fights in the legislature, but in the public sphere, Illinois Democrats have been writing their own epitaph. Rauner has built an airtight narrative and jammed it into every corner of the state with zero opposition. Enraging.

Comment by Voice Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:19 am
“We need to be a two-party state.”

We actually need to be a multi-party country. The two party system is a failure and the only thing worse is one party.

Comment by Ahoy! Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:19 am
–“I am focused on fundamentally changing the trajectory of our state. The system is broken, we’ve been going down a bad road for a long time.–

Put a tax on meaningless, trite, mixed metaphors and you’ll see some real revenue growth.

–Sorry but the facts are the facts. Illinois finances deteriorated significantly under one party rule and Governor Blagoevichs tenure.–

Yeah, Blago, Madigan and Emil Jones were just one happy family, pulling in the same direction at all times. In the real world, Blago was way tighter with Cross and House Republicans.

But the economy was booming under Blago, Madigan and Jones, so they must be have been doing great things — because as the governor and LP tell us, economic growth comes from decisions made Springfield.

No actual economist would tell you that, but what do they know.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:38 am
===Quinn was able to raise revenue but not reduce spending by consolidating the record units of government. We have to restore economic growth in our state.===

Did Quinn make the pension payments?

Is pension debt a hindered efforts to “growth”?

Take your time.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:41 am
“Two thirds of the elections for the General Assembly, there was no opponent. That doesn’t work,”

Who is BVR recruiting to run against my unopposed legislators - McCarter & Meier?????

Comment by Highland, IL Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:42 am
….changing the trajectory of the state? I am confused. I thought those pesky Democrats raised taxes on the poor and middle class. I thought it was the Dems wbo borrowed money to pay down debt…..getting old is tough.
. I am so confused.

Comment by Blue dog dem Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:55 am
As Brucie continues his installment purchase of the Repubs, Illinois will be a one party/one person state: Dem Party v. Rauner having subsumed what used to be called the Repub party.

Comment by d.p.gumby Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 12:26 pm
Killing the patient is certainly one way to stop the spread of cancer.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 2:02 pm