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* ABC7…
Kennedy said he would spend between $50 million and $100 million of his own fortune to defeat Rauner.
w
Whoa.
I hadn’t seen that anywhere else, so I reached out to Chris Kennedy’s campaign. The reply…
No, he didn’t say that. He said that even if Rauner put $100 million in it wouldn’t be enough to paper over his failed record.
Thomas might have take that along with what he said that he would put his money where his mouth is to suggest that he would self fund the whole race. But he never committed to an amount that he was going to put in.
Well, that kinda put a damper on my planned post about yet another wealthy self-funder. My draft headline: “Kennedy to spend up to $100 million of his own money on race.” Since I already put the rest of it together, we might as well get on with it.
* Rick Pearson has a very solid piece on the Chris Kennedy announcement, so while we’re gonna take a look at this little bit, you should read the whole thing.
[State Sen. Daniel Biss] dismissed the need for fielding a wealthy challenger to Rauner, saying Democrats need someone “who can draw a strong contrast with the governor.” […]
Given the prospect of two wealthy businessmen atop the November 2018 Illinois ballot, Kennedy sought to separate himself from Rauner’s background in acquisitions, mergers and finance.
“I’ve spent my whole career building things up. I made money by paying other people. Gov. Rauner has done just the opposite. He’s made money by tearing things down, breaking them apart. He’s made money by firing people,” Kennedy said.
“I think it’s important that people have drive and ambition and intelligence, but any coach, any board of directors, any employer, any employee will tell you the most important thing is heart. And Gov. Rauner appears to be heartless,” he said, noting reduced funding for social service safety-net programs due to the budget impasse.
Explaining why one rich guy is a good guy and another rich guy is a bad guy won’t be easy, but it can be done I suppose.
* AP…
“I’m not afraid of a billionaire,” Kennedy said.
He was talking about Rauner, but he could’ve just as easily been talking about JB Pritzker.
* Back to the ABC7 report…
“In the history of our state, we’ve probably never had a worse governor,” said the 53-year-old former chairman of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. “We’ve gone two years without a budget and only one person is responsible for that and that’s Gov. Rauner.” […]
“I made money by employing people, by paying them. (Rauner’s) whole career was about buying things and dismantling them, taking them apart,” Kennedy said. […]
“I’ll have all of the resources I need to compete, but I don’t think the size of your wallet is what matters to voters. I think its the strength of your vision, the breadth of your ideas and the depth of your commitment,” Kennedy told ABC7 on Wednesday.
* WGN…
Kennedy was interviewed on WGN Morning News Thursday, and anchor Robin Baumgarten asked him,”What do you say to people who say, here’s another wealthy guy who’s just going to throw money at the office. How much different will it be than what Bruce Rauner is doing?”
Kennedy responded: “I think it’s important that people of drive and ambition and intelligence like Gov. Rauner does, but I think you also have to have a heart and a sensitivity, and I don’t think there’s any demonstration that he has a heart.”
Baumgarten followed up by saying, “That seems harsh, you’re calling him heartless.”
“Well I think he is. He’s thrown a million people of out government programs. He sat on the sidelines while 75 percent of these kids are doomed to a life of economic oppression,” Kennedy said.
The full interview is here. The interviewers repeatedly press him on why he’s blaming the Republican governor and not his fellow Democrats.
* Now, click here and go to the 1:24 mark on the CBS2 story about Kennedy’s announcement. As noted elsewhere today, Gov. Rauner talks about how he’s “very focused like a laser on getting a balanced budget.” But he also goes on to say this in a very sincere and muted tone…
“We need to compromise with each other. We need to listen to each other. And I’m very focused on that. I’m really not paying attention to politics.”
The man has some mad skills. He almost had me convinced. Seriously, watch the video. Rauner will not be easy to beat.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:07 pm
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If a non-Pritzker wins it’ll be the combined union bank account against Rauner’s wallet. Does anyone have any idea what Labor would spend on this race?
Comment by Grand Avenue Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:13 pm
And Pritzker will get union money too if he wins the primary, but he will also be in a position to self-fund that no other candidate would be so it would be Union money plus Pritzker money against Rauner money
Comment by Grand Avenue Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:14 pm
@Grand Avenue: What. Ever. It. Takes.
Comment by AUG Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:16 pm
===The man has some mad skills. He almost had me convinced. Seriously, watch the video. Rauner will not be easy to beat.===
So let’s all have a bruising democratic primary that leaves whoever wins it damaged. That’ll help out a lot. And that’s what’s coming. Rauner is good. He is very good. He is a walking talking PR machine taking down everyone in his path. Blago with unlimited funds and way better messaging.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:20 pm
==So let’s all have a bruising democratic primary that leaves whoever wins it damaged.==
I don’t think a coronation is any better.
Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:27 pm
===Rauner will not be easy to beat.===
Nope. Difficult to beat an incumbent, let alone a well-financed incumbent, willing to spend tens of millions of dollars to swamp anyone in his way, and push narratives designed to swamp his own failings.
Rauner is already 24/7/365, “Full Tilt” campaigning, even as he says that’s not so.
Rauner has numerous messaging avenues and can and does fund each and every avenue, leaving nothing to chance.
If you can’t step back and remove yourself and look at the setup Rauner has pieced together to take down all comers abc not be inpressed, you will lose because that apparatus, that money, that network, that messaging is designed for one thing and one thing only… to completely devour anyone in Rauner’s way.
===Rauner will not be easy to beat.===
Nope. It will be a constant battle to get ahead, so you don’t drowned.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:27 pm
How rich is Chris Kennedy? Maybe wealthier than some of the others in the family from running the Mart, but I remind the crowd again, as I did here some time ago, that when Ted Kennedy was up against Mitt Romney in the 1994 Massachusetts US Senate race, Teddy had to mortgage his two houses in order to compete financially. Obviously, the Kennedys are a wealthy family, but what is the cash and liquid assets situation? Competing with Rauner and his gift cards will be difficult.
Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:33 pm
No disrespect, but I can count several political bad actors who had mad skills in convincing people he/she was “for the people”
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:43 pm
===I don’t think a coronation is any better.===
There is no perfect scenario, but a united front will be better than driving a wedge between social services and labor….
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:43 pm
As Precinct Captain brings up — I don’t think Chris Kennedy has $50 - $100 million to throw around like that anyways. The dude is certainly wealthy, and I certainly don’t know his financial situation, but I never got the impression (including being inside his house for an event) that he has access to Bruce Rauner type money.
Comment by Just Observing Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:55 pm
I think people under-estimate just how good of a salesman Bruce Rauner is.
He is really, really good at sales.
Governing? Not so much.
But sales — he is excellent.
Comment by Dan Johnson Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 1:56 pm
=Dale Johnson=
True, but I think some people are confusing sales with an offer you can’t rufuse
Comment by So tired of political hacks Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 2:00 pm
== How rich is Chris Kennedy? ==
He cannot afford to give his campaign more than $5 million.
Comment by Luke Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 2:13 pm
(Sigh)
To the “Money”…
Ok, the only presumed/announced candidate for the Dem Nomination for Governor that has unencumbered access to $100 million, that is obvious, is JB Pritzker.
The reality here isn’t that the Dem Nominee won’t have the cash to compete. Any possible Nominee will have access to significant funds after they win the nomination, be it from Labor, Dem Govs’ Association, many avenues to be “heard” and the money is there to don that.
Have “we all” forgot …
Mike Noonan?
This, this is the money challenge; Noonan…
===The Speaker and President Cullerton did a masterful job of raising the resources to be able to negate the Republican financial advantage at the legislative level in 2016. They’re going to need to do that same job to match those same legislative expenditures [in 2018]. There’s a finite amount of money, right? Can the unions and the trial lawyers and the other main, traditional givers find the $40 million that’s needed on the legislative side and then find another $90 million for governor? Unlikely. […]===
It’s not wether Kennedy can get the monies, Kennedy will have to prove that, like Biss, like Raoul, and like Pritzker proving he will open the wallet.
The WHOLE ball game is Noonan’s assessment about what it means in the big picture money game with a Dem Nominee possibly pulling monies from a finite pot of cash.
But, to the Dems, they can’t let Rauner be the one to sign that newly drawn map… so there’s that too.
This “money” discussion, get out of the “Kennedy can’t” business and realize what is going on outside the micro Governor’s Race.
My take was this…
===I do think where Noonan is missing a much bigger vision, but isn’t missing the bigger picture, is that there will also be 5 statewide races Rauner will be staffing and arguably funding to keep the whole ticket from Rauner all the way down competitive, and making Democrats spend monies chasing down challengers for races like Comptroller and Treasurer, SoS and Attorney General.
But, reading Noonan, that’s the Ball Game that really needs to be considered and the Map and the other long-term politics that could be at play aren’t collateral noises, but what Rauner himself would relish…
… holding the state hostage, again, for a Map… and putting Social Services and Labor as the fulcrum to a Map designed to elect Raunerites, not Republicans, and finally making the Blagojevich dream complete.===
… and we’re “worried” about if Kennedy might mortgage a house as well?
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 2:13 pm
Since we seem to be giving Rauner his second term, why bother with running against him? In fact, just give him the election now. He says things voters want to hear, and they will come out in droves to give him the win. Any opponent will be hopelessly underfunded and will have no vote-changing message to change that outcome. My state and my country gone.
Comment by My New Handle Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 2:27 pm
==There is no perfect scenario, but a united front will be better than driving a wedge between social services and labor….==
I’m having trouble envisioning a scenario where the primary breaks down on those fault lines.
Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 2:39 pm
Chris Kennedy will not be putting $5 million let alone $50 million into this race. What will be interesting is when and if he busts the cap.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 2:49 pm
===Since we seem to be giving Rauner his second term…===
I’m not. I’m also not naive to the challenges to defeating a well-funded incumbent that seem to be winning the messaging daily.
Two separate things.
Right candidate, right Crew, right message, coupled with a ground game…
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 2:53 pm
He just got in the race and is already nervous about money talk. Good luck.
Comment by Rocky Rosi Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 3:07 pm
That is one of the things about Rauner for a self funder who had no political experience he has mad communication skills. I have said it before one of the best retail politicians I have ever seen.
Comment by Oneman Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 3:11 pm
–Kennedy said he would spend between $50 million and $100 million of his own fortune to defeat Rauner.–
Geez, Thomas really needs to slow down and get it right. How does he figure that Kennedy is even worth $50-$100 million, much less can put it into a campaign?
Forbes puts the extended family fortune at $1 billion in loads of trusts divided among at least 30 relatives.
Thomas has been covering Rauner since he took office and called him “fiscally conservative” a couple of weeks ago. Get your head in the ballgame, man.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/carlodonnell/2014/07/08/how-the-1-billion-kennedy-family-fortune-defies-death-and-taxes-3/#1ea75622238d
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 3:34 pm
Worst Gov in history of Illinois - Chris what about that guy in CO?
Comment by Sue Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 3:41 pm
It’s high time we put a businessman in Governors chair, someone who ……. whoop. Forget it,
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 3:47 pm
I would make two points: First, thinking you can tar the Kennedy name as being in Madigan’s pocket is complete lunacy. The Kennedy’s have a brand name in politics as recognizable as a corporation like McDonalds. Rauner might as well flush the money down the toilet.
Second, the Kennedy’s come from a family culture of extreme wealth, that also emphasizes public service. Beyond the President and both Senator’s Kennedy, you have the family our front on creating the Special Olympics, mental health issues, the Profiles in Courage awards, etc.
In other words, the Kennedy’s represent a pre-Reaganite era of wealth where with riches came responsibility to serve your country. In a race where the Democrats have to run someone who can fund a credible campaign against the character from Monopoly, that’s not a bad contrast, and not a very difficult case to make.
Comment by ILPundit Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 3:49 pm
The Kennedy allure is not what it once was. His sound and look as a candidate will not appeal as well as Rauner, who easily strikes the pose as a man of the people. Kennedy will need all the hard cash he can get, and his soft answers on the money issue signal weakness.
Comment by chad Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 4:29 pm
ILPundit…
Going to offer a different opinion…
Lets say that ‘Peak Kennedy’ was in 1970, that’s 46 years ago. Since then it has been, at least in terms of media attention Uncle Ted and problems. Heck the Kennedy brand as it were wasn’t strong enough to get at Democrat elected to Uncle Ted’s senate seat in the special election. I suspect to a number of voters the Kennedys at this point represent tabloid fodder, may not be fair but it is what it is…
I would suspect that 90% of Illinois residents unaware of anything in that second sentence. Also self made rich guy is the American dream, not inherited rich guy. Yeah I get it, Rauner is pure evil to most here, but given your choice between two equal candidates you would likely want the one who earned it not the who inherited it. It’s a better story IMHO.
I don’t see many voters getting all twitterpated about a Kennedy, I just don’t. Not sure his last name is going to help much in the collars where this election is going to be won.
Comment by OneMan Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 4:30 pm
==who easily strikes the pose as a man of the people==
That one I disagree with. Compare Rauner with George W. Bush. No one ever dissected Dubya’s dropped Gs.
==Not sure his last name is going to help much in the collars where this election is going to be won.==
I actually think Kennedy would play well in the suburbs, but he’ll get scrapped for parts downstate, and I don’t see him really goosing the Chicago numbers over PQ ‘14.
Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 4:43 pm
== How rich is Chris Kennedy? ==
Christ Kennedy was supposed to be the “big” backer of Innovation Illinois. He gave $5k. That’s all.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 4:59 pm
He’ll do well in the Metro East Arsenal.
Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 5:40 pm
- He almost had me convinced. -
From the guy that bought “OODA Loops”…
Comment by Daniel Plainview Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 6:26 pm