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* Kass…
“We have people running for governor who won’t criticize the most important issue — the rigged property tax system — and that itself is disqualifying,” Chris Kennedy, also running in the Democratic Party primary, told me Thursday.
Kennedy has long made the property tax system, and the corruption in it, a feature of his campaign. He has called on Berrios to resign. Pritzker and his ally Mayor Rahm Emanuel would rather change the subject and talk about the guy in the White House.
“Pritzker talks about things that aren’t really the issue. He talks about Donald Trump, but he skirts the issue of using Joe Berrios’ office to call political supporters. Pritzker’s locked in with those guys.” […]
“As J.B. has made clear throughout the campaign, he believes we need to reform our flawed and inequitable property tax system, and it will be a top priority for him as governor,” said Slayen.
“Like (Democratic gubernatorial candidate) Daniel Biss, J.B. believes that voters should have the ultimate say on if Mr. Berrios deserves another term, and J.B. remains focused on beating Bruce Rauner and repairing the damage he has done to Illinois,” Slayen said.
Fair enough. But Pritzker isn’t running against Rauner now. He’s not running against Donald Trump either.
He’s running for the Democratic nomination against Chris Kennedy, and property taxes will be the issue. And they will be the issue in the general election.
Discuss.
*** UPDATE *** Good questions…
.@JBPritzker said we have the same position on the rigged Cook County property tax system. So does he support my HOME Act legislation? And will he return the $250K appeal he got for ripping out toilets in his Gold Coast mansion? https://t.co/TAxtXMEt7L
— Daniel Biss (@danielbiss) December 22, 2017
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 9:34 am
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Pritzker needs to start talking about state and local issues. The gubernatorial election is not a referendum on Trump. I think that Pritzker’s hesitancy to take on the obvious problems in the Prairie State is because he and his allies are hardwired into the corrupt system and benefit from its inequities.
Comment by Say What? Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 9:43 am
I guess Kennedy’s gotta do something to get some free media, but running to John Kass in a *Democratic Primary* is an odd idea.
If Trump isn’t an issue in a Gubernatorial campaign, than neither is Berrios, but at least attacking Trump has some political juice behind it; dissatisfaction with an incumbent President has long translated to success for the opposition party down the ticket. Voters vote up-to-down, not down-to-up.
But while Joe Berrios won’t be an issue, property taxes will. And JB is vulnerable there (because of the toilets, not Berrios), but he’s right that relying less on property taxes and more on progressive taxes can help that situation, and the ultimate message there- “tax the rich!”- is a popular one.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 9:44 am
===The gubernatorial election is not a referendum on Trump===
Says you. If it works for him, he’s gonna use it.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 9:46 am
===“Pritzker talks about things that aren’t really the issue. He talks about Donald Trump, but he skirts the issue of using Joe Berrios’ office to call political supporters. Pritzker’s locked in with those guys.” […]====
The possible dismantling of ObamaCare, the new Tax Bill, both have big big impacts in Illinois governing, that’s understanding that being governor isn’t about appeasing the likes of Kass, but seeing the challenges Trump is putting, not only on Illinois, but families in Illinois, and which Dem Gubernatorial candidate is prepared to face the challenges Illinois will face with CHIP, ObamaCare, and taxes.
Pritzker’s property tax responses are symbolic, like the removed toilets. In the General, Rauner has his own issues, like “how can someone take a homeowner exemption in Winnetka, and have child going to a CPS school?”
Rauner, Candidate Rauner, whenever he faced scrutiny went after Quinn twice as hard, then moved within the GOP to outmaneuver Brady, Rutherford, and Dillard. We’ll see if Pritzker can do all that… after January 1st.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 9:53 am
The Berrios issue is important but the trick is getting people outside Cook to care. Takes a lot of explaining that perhaps, if Cook is dishing out property tax breaks to the rich and powerful, perhaps they aren’t collecting what they should for things like school funding. If school funding isn’t sufficient locally, they are going to come to Springfield for everyone else’s tax dollars. There are issues of classism and racism involved too, but again they are limited to Cook.
As an aside I’ve received like a half dozen mail solicitations from property tax appeal lawyers this month. What a cottage industry they have built up there, some wanting 50% contingency fees. Would be a shame if anything happened to it, like reform.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 9:56 am
==Pritzker needs to start talking about state and local issues.==
You fish where there’s fish, and Democratic activists have made it clear this year that they expect maximum opposition to Trump.
That being said, Pritzker just spent the whole last week talking about Quincy. The first post on his FB page is a “Top Ten Rauner failures”, and the second video on his Youtube page (after the gauzy pop-culture q-and-a one) is a riff on “I am not in charge”. He’s shooting right at his target.
I get why John Kass wants him to attack other Democrats instead. Not sure why Kennedy wants that, too, though.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:01 am
Kennedy even talking to political flunky for the Tribune John Kass causes Kennedy to lose credibility.
Comment by DeseDemDose Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:03 am
Wolf Point Wolf Point
Comment by Wolf Point Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:04 am
FWIW, I’ve seen polling from other candidates in Illinois. The intelligentsia hates the Trump talk. But it’s the number one polling issue. Democrats want someone to stand up to Donald Trump. It jumps off the page like pretty much nothing else. That’s why all the politicians for state office keep talking about Donald Trump.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:07 am
Oh, and one more thing. Any Democrat who takes political advice from John Kass should immediately quit their race.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:08 am
Kennedy hasn’t been saying anything profound in this race, but his assessment that Pritzker isn’t talking about local issues and would rather run against Trump is spot-on and speaks to the larger problem that the 2018 election will have in IL. Although there’s serious discontent about property taxes, and taxes / corruption in general, all of that is going to be drowned out by the national Democratic wave that will be focused on Trump. It’s disappointing, because the Democratic party in IL needs a bit of a reality check and this election is going to let them off the hook. As a Democrat, I’m not saying I want the GOP in charge of IL — but if we keep electing the same Democrats we’ve got, the property tax hikes and general economic malaise IL is in will only continue.
Comment by mtwtsn Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:13 am
==I’ve seen polling from other candidates in Illinois.==
I have not, but it’s clear from discussing politics with *anyone* that Trump is always first on our mind. That’s probably pretty bad on a lot of different levels, but engage with the world as it is, not as you wish it would be.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:14 am
Im sure Kass and the rest of the raunerbots would love for Rauner’s opponent to be the only Kennedy with no charisma, the one who needs to rely on family members because he can’t raise enough money to run a actual campaign. I’m also sure Kennedy and clan would love tronc’s help to secure the nomination, all the while knowing they can’t raise money and would suck the IL dem party and DGA dry trying to compete with Bruce.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:18 am
=The gubernatorial election is not a referendum on Trump=
Yes it is.
Comment by Turn Around For What? Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:30 am
” In the General, Rauner has his own issues, like “how can someone take a homeowner exemption in Winnetka, and have child going to a CPS school?”
Because, like Senator Tammy Duckworth, he also took a homestead exemption on his other residence.
“Rauner paid the paid Cook County $1,616 to cover the extra tax savings he received, spokesman Chip Englander said.”
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130329/news/703299932/?interstitial=1
Tammy Duckworth also coughed up over $2,000 to pay the extra taxes because of multiple homeowner exemptions.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120822/news/708229623/
Hardly equivalent to over $250K of property tax savings through the toilet removal scam. Who, other than you is going to make an issue of property tax shenanigans by Rauner and Duckworth?
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:33 am
====The gubernatorial election is not a referendum on Trump=
Yes it is.===
Seconded, for the reasons OW listed. Can’t wait to see Bruce try to hem and haw his way around every question he gets about trump in debates. Maybe he will try to blame Madigan for trumps unpopular actions like he does with everything else?
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:36 am
==Yes it is.==
I mean, it’s a referendum on Bruce Rauner, too. But it’s not going to be a referendum on Joe Berrios, if only because 2/3rds of the state doesn’t know or care who he is.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:38 am
Gubernatorial election is a referendum on Rauner, but anti-Trump feelings may make 1) Dem turnout higher than usual for a midterm election & 2) Create a general anti-GOP sentiment, which you saw in Virginia last month where GOP State House delegates & the Governor candidate got massacred
Comment by Grand Avenue Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:43 am
Sorry but this election as every other election will hinge on the 5.2 million residents of Cook County and their dissatisfaction with the tax and spend policies of their elected leaders in the Democratic party.
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:43 am
==Sorry but this election as every other election will hinge on the 5.2 million residents of Cook County and their dissatisfaction with the tax and spend policies of their elected leaders in the Democratic party.==
If you’re counting on Cook County to deliver big for Bruce Rauner, you’re going to have a long election night.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:47 am
===Sorry but this election as every other election will hinge on the 5.2 million residents of Cook County and their dissatisfaction with the tax and spend policies of their elected leaders in the Democratic party.===
Then why is Rauner polling at 55% disapproval?
The Rauner failure and the Trump frustration will be a larger problem to overcome.
Rauner isn’t in charge. How can he fix the tax system? LOL
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:48 am
JB can simply explain how his progressive state income tax plan will significantly decrease property taxes across the state. Unless…
Comment by City Zen Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:51 am
==Sorry but this election as every other election will hinge on the 5.2 million residents of Cook County and their dissatisfaction with the tax and spend policies of their elected leaders in the Democratic party.==
In fact, this is self-contradicting; “every other election” in IL has hinged on Cook County residents’ “dissatisfaction” with “their elected leaders in the Democratic Party”? Well, given that Cook County keeps electing Democrats, that dissatisfaction must not be very profound (nor should it be, since Chicago is the only part of the state that’s growing).
If this election hinges on Cook County treating Democrats the way it does in “every other election” Rauner should just save his money.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:52 am
If Kennedy pulls in Illinois reform voters who won’t consider voting for Pritzker and don’t want to vote again for Rauner, Chris is not being a traitor to his party or to Illinois as some are hinting. Quite the opposite. This is not a difficult concept to grasp when one stands back from the partisan noise. This is where Kennedy is positioning himself right now. It’s true that Berrios does not personally affect most downstaters, upstaters and outstaters. But the sheer volume of voters in the areas where Berrios *is* increasingly seen as poison and the coverage in both big Chicago papers with a long readership reach makes the conflicts of Berrios’ dual jobs more relevant in this election than some may want to admit. Chris is the only candidate who is “on it” and who is making that case.
Comment by Responsa Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 10:57 am
===Because, like Senator Tammy Duckworth, he also took a homestead exemption on his other residence.===
So you’ve admit Rauner gamed the system too?
Huh. That’s interesting.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 11:13 am
==But the sheer volume of voters in the areas where Berrios *is* increasingly seen as poison and the coverage in both big Chicago papers with a long readership reach makes the conflicts of Berrios’ dual jobs more relevant in this election than some may want to admit.==
Except, real talk, the Berrios play isn’t about Cook County. Cook County has been happily ignoring John Kass’ political opinions for years, if not listening to him only to affirmatively do the opposite. Berrios may still win his primary. Indeed, if the election were held today, I assume he would.
The Berrios play is about the rest of the state, railing against Chicago for the ump-teenth time. But the problem is, unlike Madigan, or Rahm, or Daley (any Daley, including the one helping Kennedy raise money), you gotta explain who Berrios is.
And when you’re explaining, you’re losing.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 11:14 am
And you wonder why Madigan supports JB
Comment by Sue Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 11:55 am
==Sorry but this election as every other election will hinge on the 5.2 million residents of Cook County and their dissatisfaction with the tax and spend policies of their elected leaders in the Democratic party.==
You might want to check the Dem vs. GOP vote in Cook County. Kind of puts the logic of your statement to the test.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 1:34 pm
Before you start popping champagne corks for a huge Democratic wave next Fall that will elect more Democrats in Illinois despite of their tax and spend record you might want to consider this:
“The Democratic National Committee’s fundraising woes continued last month, when the party posted its lowest total for the month of October in at least 15 years.
The DNC raised $3.9 million in October — far short of the $9.2 million raised during the month by the Republican National Committee.
The RNC has now raised $113.2 million over the 2017 calendar year and has $42.5 million in the bank and no debt. The DNC, meanwhile, has raised $55 million this year. It has $5 million cash on hand and owes $3.2 million in debts.
It was the worst October for Democrats dating back to 2003 — the first year the national parties were required to file monthly finance reports. The low totals reflect the difficulty the DNC has had raising money since former President Barack Obama left office.”
Apparently the Democrats need to stand for something more than resisting Trump.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/dnc-rnc-fundraising-october/index.html
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 1:56 pm
LP, since when does the DNC and RNC spend money on state legislative races in this state?
You may need a nap.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 2:00 pm
I didn’t say they did Rich
Just pointing out that enthusiasm for the party on a national level is lagging
I believe it is also lagging in Cook County among beleaguered middle class taxpayers who don’t think Democrats have done anything to solve Illinois problems other than permanently raising income taxes and doing nothing to stop the increase in property taxes and fees
Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 2:41 pm
And there’s also this:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/house-democrats-break-campaign-fundraising-record-n802171
https://democraticgovernors.org/news/dga-announces-21m-in-fundraising-in-first-half-of-2017/
The DNC is a Presidential Campaign apparatus, and it always falters after a Democrat loses the White House (same with the RNC). It has, in addition, been a lightning rod for controversy. As such, it’s a bad barometer for the state of play right now, unless you have a specific narrative you’re trying to push.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 22, 17 @ 3:28 pm