Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Goodbye, Spin Sister

Posted in:

Illinois

* Rebecca told me about this last month, but asked that I keep it a secret. Her departure from the administration is no surprise, considering the stresses of her daily gig, and the length of her tenure…

“I have accepted a public affairs position with a public relations firm in St. Louis,” said Rebecca Rausch, the governor’s Springfield-based deputy director of communications.

Rausch said her last day at her current job is May 31 — the deadline by which a normal session of the General Assembly would end.

While the new job, which she’s waiting to announce on that company’s timetable, pays more than the $80,000 annually she’s making at the state, Rausch said her leaving is bittersweet.

“I like this job,” she said. “I like the governor. I like working for him. I like the people I work with, specifically Abby (Ottenhoff, the director of communications) and (Deputy Gov.) Sheila Nix.

* Eighty grand may sound like a lot to some, but she was never paid as much as some other press staffers, despite the fact that she had to live in the very center of Anti-Blagojevich Country. Rausch was a former local TV reporter, so everybody in town knows who she is. I can’t imagine what that must have been like.

I respect what I cannot do, so I respect all the Spin Sisters for their on-message tenacity. They can’t have an “off” day because it would be disastrous for their boss. So, just imagine the pressure.

Rausch and I had our differences over the years - to say the least - but let’s give her a classy sendoff today. One of her more arduous assignments has been to keep track of what’s posted on this blog, so try to keep that in mind when you comment.

…Adding… I’ve had to delete a few comments already. If you want to express your anger in a stupid drive-by comment, go to the SJ-R. They publish almost anything. Otherwise, I’m gonna delete you. Resistance is futile, and if after I leave the office and discover later that you’ve slipped through somehow, I’m gonna ban you.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:20 am

Comments

Congratulations Rebecca! We will miss you in Springfield.

Comment by Anon Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:23 am
You mean she tracked the comments on this blog?

Or the actual blog postings?

Comment by Macbeth Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:26 am
Think of it as getting off the Titanic before the ship went down!

Good Luck Rebecca, I am sure you will do well in your new position.

Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:27 am
Rebecca said…> “I like this job,” she said. “I like the governor. I like working for him.

Right to the end…. Still on message! Dang, she’s gooood.

Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:32 am
Rebecca Rausch, we hardly knew ya.

She never got the credit she is due.

Comment by GoBearsss Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:32 am
To blatantly rip off Stephen Colbert.

The Titantic is a horrible metaphor for this administration. This administration isn’t sinking.. it’s soaring. If anything Rebecca is parachuting out of the Hindenburg.

I can’t imagine a better item on the resume though. If you can spin Blagojevich, what can’t you spin?

Comment by Sacks Romana Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:32 am
Congrats on making it to the life boat before there is no room left. Good luck in future endeavors.

Comment by Dan S, a Voter & Cubs Fan Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:34 am
Best of luck Rebecca….hopefully that timetable includes some much-needed vacation!
Can we have a question about the appropriate departing gifts from state leaders & press?

Comment by Vote Quimby! Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:35 am
Good luck Rebecca and thanks for the spin, it has been very entertaining. I hope you can avoid having to use the following words or phrases for a while

Coincidence
Unrelated
Public Official A
Hey there is a back entrance

Comment by OneMan Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:35 am
Rebecca, you can always be proud of the job you did. It wasnt easy, but you did it well and worked hard for a very demanding boss. you deserve all the good things you have coming.

Good luck.

Comment by Anon Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:36 am
More than anything, I imagine that Rebecca will feel better about herself once she leaves Blago’s administration. The lies she and the others were expected to weave on a daily basis were sickening and I don’t know how one could sleep at night.

Comment by Downstate Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:36 am
And then there was one …
Abby is the last of the original three.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:37 am
Smart move.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:39 am
Goodbye and Good Luck Bill, er, Rebecca.

Comment by Truth Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:39 am
Good Luck! Hope your new job is everything you want it to be and more!

Comment by Leigh Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:39 am
PR work prerequisite: past prevaricator. Sorry, nothing nice to say about about PIOs or professional spin-miesters. Remember John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” A foreign concept in this administration.

Comment by If It Walks Like a Duck... Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:41 am
Man, the kindness cup runneth over today…

Comment by GoBearsss Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:44 am
I don’t live in Sfield and had never heard of her other than on the blog, but it sounds like a smart
career move and a good career plan. Working for the guv’s office, whoever the guv, is likely a resume-enhancer.

Government press relations jobs are likely good places to learn and we taxpayers benefit from getting good service from talented younger people who aren’t going to hang on forever and become expensive elderly lifers. Alas, this is not
typical of most Illinois civil servants, who hang on to their expensive state jobs (expensive to us, that is) for dear life. Including the guv, it looks like. On to Term III!

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:46 am
If It Walks Like a Duck, take a breath. GoBearsss, it could be a lot worse. Go check the SJ-R’s comments.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:48 am
Now I am really confused: Bill “…had to live in the very center of Anti-Blagojevich Country…”
1) Bill/Rebecca was always polite;
2) just where IS the center of Anti-B Country? and
3) where IS pro-Blagojevich Country?

Comment by North of I-80 Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:49 am
North and others, Rebecca is not Bill. I know Bill. Bill is a man and he doesn’t live in Springfield.

Enough.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:50 am
Thanks so much for the nice post, Rich, and for everything over the years.

Comment by Rebecca Rausch Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:50 am
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever Gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of Circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of Chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

Best wishes!

– SCAM
so-called “Austin Mayor”
http://austinmayor.blogspot.com

Comment by so-called "Austin Mayor" Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:52 am
Bec,
It was always an honor and a compliment to me when bloggers like “Truth” said I was you. It will be pretty lonely around here without you. It looks like it will be just GoBearss and me, now. You are really one of the good ones. Good Luck in St. Louis. Forget about the Rams and Cards, though.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:53 am
Good Luck RR - I disagree with Rich, I don’t think your nose was growing all That fast.

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:54 am
What a difficult, stressful job to have. I hope all goes well for her in St. Louis.

Comment by The Cowgirl Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 9:57 am
Welcome to the Metro East…where you will be able to shop and fill your tank peacefully!

Comment by Vote Quimby! Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:00 am
Two Brothers will never be the same. You will be missed Rauschen.

Comment by Sprint Speed! Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:07 am
My mother aways said if you can’t say anything nice. Say nothing at all. So here’s to nothing.

Comment by Maggie Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:09 am
Rebecca truly is a class act. She carried a lot of water for the administration, and she did it well. She will be missed.

Comment by FlackerBacker Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:10 am
Rebecca, best of luck! Please try to take some time off and just relax!

Comment by South of I-80 Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:11 am
Wow. For some odd reason, the housing values in Springfield just increased. Have fun in The Lou.

Comment by Diamond Dog Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:12 am
Eh, spin, spin, spin, someone has to do it and this sister did it well. Ms. Rausch made me laugh-n-howl and even made my jaw drop more than once or twice, she knows how to do her job and will bring much to whatever is next on her horizen. Good luck to you and your family.

Comment by Princeville Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:12 am
I’m trying to say something nice. . .

Go Mizzou!

Comment by good luck Rebecca Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:15 am
I’ve had to delete a few comments already. If you want to express your anger in a stupid drive-by comment, go to the SJ-R. They publish almost anything. Otherwise, I’m gonna delete you. Resistance is futile, and if after I leave the office and discover later that you’ve slipped through somehow, I’m gonna ban you.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:25 am
My mother always said don’t be sap
Spin Sister Red Good Luck with the new gig
Be comforted in the fact that Blagoof’s critics did not drop the golden brick on this opportunity
Hope that is nice enough for the Office of Blog Censorship

Comment by Wild Bill Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:33 am
At least she is one Blago associate who is free to walk away.

Does anyone else think her move portends some really bad news coming up soon?? One wonders…

Comment by DuPage Dave Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:36 am
DuPage Dave, I doubt it. But the exodus is beginning.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:40 am
She did her job, took her orders and marched with them. We are all spinners of our own webs of truth, some get paid to spin, others don’t. She spun webs as well as anyone and she earned her paycheck. That’s what good PR people do.

(I just wonder what makes WICS-TV such a fertile nursery for state PIOs, Dem and Repub.)

Comment by anon Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:44 am
Personally, I do not think the PR person should cover for their boss no matter what but that appears to be the job and she did it well. Talk about being prepared for what the private sector throws at you. She’ll spin it in her sleep.

Comment by Garp Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:45 am
Bill is a guy and not from Springfield. That starts to narrow it down.

Who will be the next spinner that takes Rebecca’s place? Or will it all be done from Chi town like everything else.

And while you’re filling your gas tank always do so on the Missouri side of the river. It is 20 - 25 cents less per gallon.

Comment by Leave a light on George Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:51 am
“Leave a light on George”,
Actually, you already know who I am. Its not that hard to figure out.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:54 am
Rebecca, you were grossly underpaid!!!!! I hope you have some peace in your new gig. Congrats!

Comment by Will miss you Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:54 am
Timing is interesting. Does this mean there will be no overtime session/food fight to deal with, or that there will and she wants to avoid it? Maybe neither/unrelated, but one wonders.

Comment by Muskrat Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:55 am
You will be missed. They say no one is irreplacable, but you might be

Comment by Jackson Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:56 am
What on earth will they do now? What will they do without you? The timing is perfect

Comment by Go Bearss Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 10:57 am
Rich, what other administration secrets have you agreed to keep?

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:01 am
Bill

Let’s see. No posts from you during the time Tony Rezko was being held without bond. Judge reconsiders, Rezko makes bond and you reapear on the blog. Hmmm - check your shorts and make sure they’re yours.

Comment by Leave a light on George Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:01 am
As a PR person, I may not have agreed with what Rebecca had to do in her official duties, but I GREATLY respected her ability to stay on message — especially in front of scrum known as the Statehouse reporters. Whatever group / issue she works for in her new endeavors is going to get a top-notch spokesperson that can handle anything that gets thrown at her! Good luck, I’m sure this is going to be a BREEZE in comparison!

Comment by 312 Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:06 am
===Rich, what other administration secrets have you agreed to keep?===

When something is said off the record, it’s off the record.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:08 am
Obviously - someone is trying to impersonate me up above…

Comment by GoBearsss Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:25 am
Rich, I’ve taken my breath and want to reiterate my disdain for PIOs. My 30 year career was ruined by the lies of one. Exhale.

Comment by If It Walks Like a Duck... Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:26 am
Rebecca,

Wishing you great messages to deliver, clients who stick to the talking points and if there has to be a crisis may it happen in the middle of a friday afternoon blizzard.

Comment by 10th Indy Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:30 am
GoBearsss,
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:32 am
Congratulations Rebecca!

You won Illinois’ version of “Survivor”!

Guess who gets “voted off” next?!

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:41 am
Anon 10:44 - the WICS people leave for the State for better pay. What’s that say about WICS? There’s always been a one-way street from the TV station to the State for as long as I’ve been in “the sticks”, which is quite a few decades now.

One’s credibility and reputation are at stake when they are told something “off the record”. Rich, I wouldn’t have wanted you to handle this any other way, nor would I have thought you would. Perhaps other journalists cannot be trusted but I think we all should be grateful that your word is your bond. Not too much of that around these days, and I thank you my friend for being the real deal.

Rebecca, we hardly knew ye.

Comment by Little Egypt Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 11:53 am
I can’t think of a more challenging (and mostly thankless) job in all of State government right now. Rebecca has certainly earned a better gig.

Comment by David Starrett Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 12:07 pm
As I said last night you’re going to miss us like crazy, but we’ll send you off the appropriate way. Hint, it rhymes with spots.

Congratulations

Comment by Not Exactly Anonymous Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 12:08 pm
Let’s be real though, when you shill for somebody with no credibility, your credibility suffers too. Hope she figures that out going forward and that the remaining people realize that too.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 12:19 pm
Does that now make Abby a Spin Orphan?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 12:19 pm
Good luck to you Rebecca.

She went to the State for more money, as I’m sure everyone who has made that move did, and that says a lot about local television.

So who does TV-20 have on deck to send over now? No one has made that move in a few weeks.

Yes, I’ve worked at both TV-20 and the State, but was not in front of the camera at either job.

Comment by BehindTheScenes Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 1:02 pm
I hear Dana Perino may need a new job soon. Maybe . . . ?

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 1:16 pm
Good luck Rebecca! It’s been great getting to know you. I remember that day on the boat when you told us you were leaving. Time has just been flying by. Your friendship over the past few months means a lot to me, and I can’t wait to hit up the bars in St. Louie Springfield style.

Comment by Kevin Fanning Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 1:45 pm
Anon, one more post like that last one I just deleted and I’m calling your boss.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 2:15 pm
Cassandra 9:46:

Young civil servants who leave the public sector do not necessarily lighten your tax burden. They just go in the private sector, where they can bill you triple the rate they were making while at the state. You won’t be funding their lavish state pension, just their lavish 401k. I know you feel better now.

To Rebecca: Congratulations to one of the Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse! (I still remember that picture of you, Sheila, Becky, and Abby).

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 2:40 pm
Good Luck Rebecca
It is much safer to use the regular exit door on the bus than have to use an emergency exit much less… get thrown under the bus.

Enjoy the ball games!

Comment by curious george Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 2:44 pm
Good Luck, Rebecca. Disagreements with the administration does not mean dislike of those who have to spread the message. You did your job very well, especially in light of the cynicism of every announcement you had to make.

Comment by South Side Mike Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 2:50 pm
You are a very talented PR professional and they were lucky to have you. You will be missed.

Comment by Go Bearss Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 2:56 pm
As a reporter, I have some empathy for those on “the other side” that, as Rich wrote, can’t have an off day. Ms. Rausch probably had the hardest job in the administration, because she had to be the voice of an increasingly unpopular governor. Good luck to her.

Comment by Tony @ 30 Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 3:15 pm
Rebecca was very good to work with when I was in government. I’m willing to bet big time that she has never knowingly lied to the media for the Governor, and I would hazard a guess she’s never been asked to.

Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 6:06 pm
I don’t think there’s much disagreement that she had a tough job at times. I guess it’s fair to say that if not for her efforts and those of Ms. Nix and Ms.Ottenhoff, the Governor’s approval ratings might have tanked.

Comment by Intergrity check Thursday, May 15, 08 @ 6:52 pm