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One reason this year’s campaigns were so nasty and personal, particularly here in Illinois, is that on many issues, the differences among the candidates are not enormous. It brings to mind the old adage that the reason academic politics are so vicious is that the stakes are so small.
The Illinois governor’s race is a good example. Bruce Rauner has come out for abortion rights, a higher minimum wage and the preservation of gay marriage despite being a Republican. Pat Quinn has cut state government employment, signed a pension reform law and imposed a quarantine on health care workers who have treated Ebola patients, even though he’s a Democrat.
Each has to attack the other guy on something, and often it’s been something peripheral to the business of governing. Both have tried to win more on style than on substance.
Partly, yes, but Quinn has bashed Rauner on issues like the minimum wage where Rauner has bounced all over the place. Rauner has directly attacked Quinn over the state of the economy and the budget.
But on the other hand, Chapman makes a good point. Both men want a big capital plan, both men want to increase spending on things like schools and universities. Both men agree that the tax hike cannot be allowed to expire all at once.
The big difference is how they each intend to arrive at those destinations. Quinn’s plan is to keep the income tax right where it is. Rauner’s plan is quite a bit fuzzier, to say the least.
There are also some obvious style differences between the two men which I don’t really need to go into here at length because they are so obvious. So, it’s logical that this would be part of the campaign.
* In other stuff, the governor has repeatedly touted all the jobs created at Chicago’s Ford factory, but some workers got a pink slip in a highly unusual way last week…
Nearly 100 workers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant got a robocall on Halloween telling them their services were no longer needed and they were terminated.
It wasn’t a trick or a morbid prank.
Dozens of workers missed the call or didn’t believe it, so they showed up to work Saturday anyway, according to an autoworker who wished to remain anonymous. They found their ID badges had been disabled and were told by security they had been fired.
Yikes.
*** UPDATE *** From Ford Motor Co…
“As part of our business process, we have temporarily adjusted our workforce numbers at Chicago Assembly Plant by approximately 90 team members. Our goal, as always, is to return the workers back to their positions as soon as possible based on the needs of our business.”
Is it part of Ford’s normal business practice to notify employees of layoffs through Robo call? No. We do not typically use Robo call to notify employees of layoffs. The plant elected to use Robo call in this situation because it is temporary in nature and we intend to recall all employees as soon as possible.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:18 pm
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I think the big reason for the nasty and personal politics is that there is just so much more money from so many more sources being poured in to all campaigns.
Gotta spend it on something.
Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:25 pm
Actually, we don’t know what Rauner wants. We just know he’s taken all sides on all issues, depending on who he’s talking to at the time.
Comment by Cheryl44 Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:25 pm
Would be so much worse if some of the workers who were actually in that Quinn commercial with him lost their jobs too. Quinn would be saying “Really Ford, you could not have waited a week until after the election?” - and don’t state economic incentives have job maintenance requirements?
The bargain we make is to offer incentives for jobs and investments, there should be some sort of take-back provision for tax monies used when companies lay off workers in an incentivized area.
Comment by siriusly Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:28 pm
My two cents on high negatives:
Quinn adopted Obama’s 2012 campaign strategy. Since Illinois was not contested in 2012, we did not see the attack ads that were aired in battleground states. This was the script: having bad approval numbers and no positive record to run on, Quinn substituted Rauner for Romney and bashed the hell out his opponent’s wealth and demonized him as often as possible.
Illinois voters are in a dilemma and the top two candidates leave much to be desired. The live question is that if Quinn is reelected, how will he be able to govern given his unpopularity? I think that he would be a lame duck at the inaugural.
Comment by Under Further Review Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:29 pm
That last story about the Ford plant. Messed up!
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:31 pm
“Since the Republican primary, Bruce Rauner has come out for abortion rights, a higher minimum wage and the preservation of gay marriage despite being a Republican.”
There, fixed that for you.
Comment by Wensicia Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:32 pm
Rauner’s Cathcart coat has always bothere me. Even worse was his stop in Moline yesterday where his entire family/entourage was dressed like they had stopped at Goodwill on the way and changed their clothing.
Comment by patsy cline gurl Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:36 pm
=== Both men agree that the tax hike cannot be allowed to expire all at once. ===
Amazing how Chapman left “Bruce Rauner wants to raise taxes, too” out, isn’t it?
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:37 pm
===”Rauner’s Cathcart coat has always bothere me.”===
I’m a North Shore guy. That type of coat is popular in my area. I don’t wear one or own one.
Perhaps that is why I have always been amazed at the foaming at the mouth by those here who have a “billion” theories over Rauner wearing one?
Comment by Louis G Atsaves Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:45 pm
Sad for the Ford workers. SHould have had the decency to tell them in person.
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:48 pm
Yellow Dog, amazing that Pat didn’t announce how despicable it was for Ford to let those people go, especially in that method.
Your thoughts?
Comment by anon Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:55 pm
Robocall to fire people?
Yeah, I am glad i bought from an American competitor.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:56 pm
I keep hearing about Rauner’s business acumen but lacking any details means he is just another politician. The one thing we do know is he hates people who do the work.
Comment by Liberty Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:57 pm
Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant. Were they bought out by some venture capitalist firm?
Comment by Bigtwich Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 12:59 pm
Whoever the Executive was that thought of the robocall is currently on the GTCR shortlist of handpicked CEOs to head up the next insider scam, err, GTCR Innovative, Hard-Charging business venture. Bet on it!
Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 1:02 pm
I think Chapman misses what’s really happening. True, Rauner and Quinn will end with virtually identical tax and budget policies because Arithmetic. But the big difference is about the approach to governing. Rauner represents and believes in the notion that government policy is used to help the affluent who then create jobs. Quinn believes that the economy grows from the bottom up.
The reason the two may answer specific Illinois policy questions differently is because state government has very little wiggle room on many questions. But Chapman is, IMO, wrong id he thinks the two are similar in outlook.
Comment by the Other Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 1:06 pm
Bruce does NOT support “gay marriage”. He said he’d leave it up to a referendum. He also has a running mate that believes that the Government controls what you do with your own body.
Comment by Del Clinkton Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 1:37 pm
GOP candidates blur the difference & then implement radical stuff they didn’t campaign on, like in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan & Florida.
Does Chapman believe difference in Gov race so small he’s gonna vote for Quinn?
Didn’t think so.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 1:49 pm
I think Rauner was largely responsible for the negative attacks against him because he refused to reveal his qualifications for the job and a credible plan to deal with Illinois’ financial problems. His basic argument was that we should vote for him because he is not Pat Quinn or a Springfield insider. He basically tried to run as a blank slate, so the best strategy for Quinn was to attempt to change that blank slate into a negative.
There are two possible reasons why he ran a blank slate campaign:
1) his staff was incompetent
2) his actual qualifications left much to be desired
My guess is that it is the latter rather than the former.
Comment by Pelonski Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 1:55 pm
I simply have a hard time believing Ford fired 100 employees by a robocall.
Comment by Peoria Guy Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 1:56 pm
After all the negative campaigning, I do believe the two candidates are alike: They both have green skin, three eyeballs, and devour babies and dogs.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 2:06 pm
Thanks Rich. Big difference between a brief lay off and firing somebody. I had fugured it was a layoff situation, not a termination.
Comment by Peoria Guy Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 2:25 pm
“This is Ford calling to inform you that you are laid off. If you are thinking of suing or grieving this action, we will bury you. If you have a family, you should think twice about that. This message is Ford tough…luck for you, that is.”
Comment by Original Rambler Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 2:29 pm
I seem to recall that the UAW contract with Ford provided that you got up to a year’s full pay when you got laid off. Anyone know if that provision is still in effect?
As far as a “recall” for the workers, what defect is there in the workers that needs to be fixed?(other than chronic Democrat support, or course!lol)
Comment by Arizona Bob Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 2:41 pm
On many of the key problems facing the state: infrastructure, education funding, pensions, debt, unavoidable basic spending, and revenue required — Rauner and Quinn are in the same boat.
Illinois Arithmetic is without mercy.
On possible ways to attack the problems they also face the same restraints: regulations, structure of government, budget constraints, other power brokers, uncontrollable political will, and public desires to get more and pay less.
We have a weak governor structure. And the governor has little to do with most of the state’s economic trends in any case.
That’s how and why they will behave similarly.
(Unless one of them is crazy enough to destroy the state for personal gain. I don’t really see that happening.)
Comment by walker Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 2:45 pm
I’m sure Ford will use Robocalls when they decide to recall those workers—some time in 2015.
Comment by anon Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 2:54 pm
That ‘layoff’ notice by robocall is awful. 90 people, and they couldn’t do it by mail (still bad) or in person? That just smacks of cowardice.
Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 2:56 pm
~walker (Unless one of them is crazy enough to destroy the state for personal gain. I don’t really see that happening.) ~
If Rauner wins, I absolutely think he will destroy the state for personal gain. That’s what he’s good at.
Comment by Anonymost Tuesday, Nov 4, 14 @ 4:37 pm