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Politifact awards Gov. Rauner another “Pants on Fire!” rating

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* From Politifact and the BGA…

The Illinois Constitution requires Gov. Bruce Rauner to draw up a budget plan each year that is balanced. But a wide range of fiscal experts agree he didn’t do it in 2015 after taking office. He didn’t do it in 2016. He didn’t do it last year either, even though he claimed otherwise.

Indeed, the budget Rauner proposed last year was so clearly billions of dollars out of whack that, when he presented it to the General Assembly last March, PolitiFact Illinois handed the governor the lowest possible Pants on Fire! credibility rating for contending it was in balance.

So we were puzzled when Rauner on Monday declared to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board: “I have introduced balanced budgets every year that I’ve been governor.”

Rauner followed that on Wednesday during his annual State of the State speech to lawmakers in Springfield with a declaration that unintentionally drew a boisterous round of sarcastic cackling from Democrats in the chamber.

“I will submit a balanced budget proposal next month,” Rauner said, pausing a couple of beats before adding, “Again.” […]

Rauner last year earned PolitiFact’s Pants on Fire! rating for his claim that a state budget he proposed was balanced. Indeed, fiscal experts say Rauner has never proposed a balanced budget as required under the state Constitution since taking office in 2015.

All facts to the contrary, Rauner repeated a similar claim this week during an appearance at the Chicago Tribune. “I have introduced balanced budgets every year that I’ve been governor,” Rauner said.

Aides to the governor filibustered when we asked them to back up his latest statement.

A year ago, PolitiFact called Rauner out on his balanced budget claim. His most recent comment is equally outrageous. Once again, we rate it Pants on Fire!

* Pritzker campaign…

“With his approval ratings under water and his accomplishments nonexistent, Bruce Rauner is taking up the Donald Trump playbook of peddling blatant lies,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Rauner’s disregard for facts and truth is an insult to Illinoisans still reeling from the damage done by his consistent failure to introduce a balanced budget.”

…Adding… DGA…

“By repeatedly lying about his record, Bruce Rauner is playing out his own personal Groundhog Day,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The fact is that Rauner has never proposed a balanced budget and has only made the state’s financial mess worse. Rauner’s failure to show leadership led to a two-year budget crisis, tripling the bill backlog and costing the state $1 billion in interest payments. That’s history Illinois voters don’t want to repeat.”

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:34 am

Comments

An emperor who has no clothes has no pants to burn. /S

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:37 am
It seems like the Governor can only get away with these blatant lies if there is lazy, weak media coverage and/or an apathetic, under-informed electorate. Is that his hope? Might it succeed?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:38 am
If you asked the Governor what he had for breakfast, he would lie out of habit. I do not believe he or his BTIA have the ability to tell the truth. They just make things up as they go along their merry way. It is insulting for someone to stand and tell a bald faced lie, when everyone knows the truth. “Dolt”

Comment by Retired Educator Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:40 am
At this point the in time I am beginning to think he really believes it. Maybe he is delusional

Comment by DuPage Saint Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:41 am
And Rauner’s Alternate Reality will continue in exactly this manner unless he’s sent packing this election.

Comment by PublicServant Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:42 am
This really should disqualify Rainer as a legitimate candidate for re-election.

Governors have lots of jobs, but proposing a budget comes close to “You have one job . . .”

To not do that job and then blatantly lie about it is breathtaking.

On the other hand, there’s Jeanne Ives.

Comment by Hamlets Ghost Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:44 am
I actually agree with JB for once,

The Governor should follow the lead of Trump as far as his State of the Union speech.

It was well received across party lines

“The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows President Trump making substantial gains after Tuesday’s State of the Union speech, and achieving his highest voter approval since March 7, 2017.

Forty-nine (49%) of Likely U.S. Voters approve of the president’s job performance. Another 49% disapprove.”

JB’s ratings look like they are going in the other direction

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_feb02

Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:46 am
But…but…magic beans, fairy dust and unicorns are part of a balanced budget.

Comment by Brother Grimm Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:46 am
–All facts to the contrary, Rauner repeated a similar claim this week during an appearance at the Chicago Tribune. “I have introduced balanced budgets every year that I’ve been governor,” Rauner said.–

And a room full of self-appointed ivory tower deep thinkers let it slide.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:49 am
@Annon221….you nailed it.

Comment by Flynn's Mom Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:55 am
Voters did not just fall off a turnip truck

Democrats hypocrisy is stunning as the budget has not been balanced for decades

The Democrats have no plans to fix the stuctural deficit and don’t want to pass the Governors

Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 9:59 am
===The Democrats have no plans to fix the stuctural deficit and don’t want to pass the Governors===

Rauner has yet to submit a balanced budget…

… or have a budget signed by him.

That’s a failing governor.

People understand that. Not one signed budget. Hurting Illinoisans, and bipartisan overrides saved Illinois… from Bruce Rauner.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:03 am
LP

You have an incredible ability to deflect. This is about the Governor being untruthful in his claims that the budgets he presented were balanced. Are you so wrapped up in your robotic talking points that you can’t even acknowledge factual information when it is presented? I seriously think you are nothing but a computer program that automatically spits out the same thing on any particular topic that is presented. What’s that saying? Garbage in, garbage out.

Comment by Demoralized Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:05 am
–You have an incredible ability to deflect.–

Meh, I’d say it’s pretty weak.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:06 am
==The Democrats have no plans to fix the stuctural deficit ==

I’m pretty certain cutting the tax rate isn’t going to fix the structural deficit. Term limits don’t do that either. Neither does getting rid of the prevailing wage. So, what exactly is the Governor’s plan for reducing the structural deficit?

Comment by Demoralized Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:07 am
===The Governor should follow the lead of Trump as far as his State of the Union speech.

It was well received across party lines

“The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows President Trump making substantial gains after Tuesday’s State of the Union speech, and achieving his highest voter approval since March 7, 2017.

Forty-nine (49%) of Likely U.S. Voters approve of the president’s job performance. Another 49% disapprove.”===

You failed to mention…

Trump’s polling numbers in Illinois… and Rauner’s 31/55 approval-disapproval here… in Illinois.

What are Trump’s numbers in Illinois right now?

They are better than Rauner’s 25-point underwater numbers?

lol

Rauner is scared to even say Trump, let alone try to emulate Trump, which he can’t here in Illinois…

So… what else ya got?

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:15 am
LP The question is, did the Governor lie when he said he had submitted three balanced budget? I don’t recall seeing anything that allows for a rant against the Democrats, or your skewed version of historic fact. Once again (and the answer is easy) did the Governor lie about the budgets he submitted? Come on you know the answer.

Comment by Retired Educator Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:16 am
Only way to do that is grow the economy and attract more business that will employ middle class workers

Sounds like the Democrats plans?

Nope

Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:17 am
This is why the governor frequently wears his firefighter costume with the flame-resistant pants.

Comment by Keyrock Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:21 am
“All facts to the contrary…”

Not a few facts, not some facts but “All” facts to the contrary. That makes it a 100% falsehood.

Perfidy indeed.

Comment by don the legend Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:27 am
==The question is, did the Governor lie when he said he had submitted three balanced budget?==

He’s not going to answer that question. His programming doesn’t allow it.

Comment by Demoralized Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:27 am
“Voters did not just fall off a turnip truck”

They sure didn’t, based on Rauner’s disapproval rating yesterday.

Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:30 am
The gov seems to be on another roll this week. Not the one I’d choose for my state’s CEO, but what can you do. He is what he is.

There’s been a fair amount of discussion of how journalists counter the president’s similar assertions to the press. No one’s having much success in live encounters.

And it distracts from the real issue, i.e. the budget itself, which is what bothers me most.

Comment by dbk Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:34 am
“==The question is, did the Governor lie when he said he had submitted three balanced budget?==

He’s not going to answer that question. His programming doesn’t allow it.”

which is interesting, because every computer I’ve ever dealt with was fundamentally a binary device…just like a yes/no answer.

Comment by Skeptic Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:39 am
“Only way to do that is grow the economy and attract more business that will employ middle class workers

Sounds like the Democrats plans?”

Yea, actually it sounds exactly like the Democrat’s plans. If you want to attract companies to move to your state, you don’t travel around the world telling everyone that your state is a S-hole under the control of someone you don’t know how to deal with.

But back to the post, Rauner has yet to introduce a balanced budget. And his failure to do so is why he was mocked so vigorously during the SOTS and why he earned a second “pants on fire” rating from Politifact on this.

Comment by Anon0091 Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:43 am
Skeptic- Rauner’s programming runs on a nested loop pattern;)

“The placing of one loop inside the body of another loop is called nesting . The outer loop takes control of the number of complete repetitions of the inner loop. For every iteration of the outer loop, the inner loop will be executed completely.”

https://digitalpadm.com/c-programs-on-nested-loops-examples/

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 10:46 am
Anon221, so it’s like:
DO UNTIL RaunerIntroducesBalancedBudget)
.
.
LOOP

is infinite, right?

Comment by Skeptic Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 11:03 am
Skeptic- You got it:)

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 11:06 am
Does anyone know if Carhartt makes a Nomex barn coat?

Alternatively, he could don a fire suit like NASCAR drivers with all his “sponsors’”logos plastered across the front, back, and sleeves. Griff might like that.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 12:03 pm