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Because… Rauner!

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* If the Juliana Stratton campaign doesn’t use this Sun-Times editorial excerpt in a mailer and/or radio/TV ad, everybody in that effort should be sued for malpractice…

A vote for Dunkin in the Democratic primary is a vote for Rauner at his most divisive, as he continues to pursue a failed strategy to win a war he can’t win. It is a vote for continued paralysis in Springfield… If Dunkin is not entirely in Rauner’s pocket already, he will be if re-elected.

* But Rauner dumped “right to work” almost a year ago…

The governor just doesn’t get it. He will never get anything through the Democratic-controlled Legislature, even a basic state budget, as long as he insists on acceptance first of his various “turnaround agenda” reforms, such as an anti-union right-to-work law.

* And while some of his pals are supporting Jason Gonzales, Rauner has not openly taken a stand…

For an old-school pol like the speaker, it is highly objectionable for a Republican governor to go messing around in a Democratic primary. Yet Rauner and his allies are not only going all out for Dunkin, they also are openly backing a candidate, Jason Gonzales, against Madigan in his Southwest Side district.

If Rauner’s organization was truly all-in for Gonzales, he’d have a whole lot more money and his advertising wouldn’t be so amateur hour.

Otherwise, they do make some good points…

We struggle to understand what Rauner expects to accomplish with a slash-and-burn style of politics that can’t work in a state that has divided government. […]

(T)he governor is doing his level best to make an even bigger foe of Madigan, whose cooperation he will never stop needing. […]

But what is Gov. Rauner’s strategy here? If he can’t call the Legislature to heel — and saving Ken Dunkin won’t call anybody to heel — what is his end game?

Your thoughts?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:21 am

Comments

==what is his end game?==

We’re watching it.

How do I know that? Because Rauner has told us. Many times. Radical transformation leveraged by engineered chaos.

Comment by Abe the Babe Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:26 am
===* If the Juliana Stratton campaign doesn’t use this Sun-Times editorial excerpt in a mailer and/or radio/TV ad, everybody in that effort should be sued for malpractice…===

That grab IS the Ball Game for Stratton, almost perfectly framed, and I concur, Stratton’s Crew should be at the very least sued if they let the grab by Rich just sit out there with out anything behind it.

It’s Raunerite meddling in Democratic politics.

Simple explanation, easy to see (we’ve seen them!) consequences.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:27 am
Gee, what’s going on with the Sun-Times edit board? Has there been a major change at that newspaper recently?

Looks like they’re going to go down blazing.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:30 am
Has there been a major change at that newspaper recently?

Is this snark?

Comment by Reality Check Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:31 am
The only gain I can see in supporting Dunkin is preventing Madigan from having a veto proof majority.

The only end game to that action is ensuring a stalemate between the Executive and the Legislature branches.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:31 am
===If Rauner’s organization was truly all-in for Gonzales, he’d have a whole lot more money and his advertising wouldn’t be so amateur hour.===

I have to think about a month ago the Rauner Crew saw the polling, loved the Madigan spending, but disliked being called out by the Speaker, twice, so… they are “helping” Gonzo be the pest, but not involved in going next level pursuing, and leaving Gonzo out there to his own device.

Plus, “bailing” on Gonzo now let’s Rauner say, “you know we weren’t serious, right Speaker?”

MJM has a long memory.

Long.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:32 am
Rauner is a guy who’s always been successful. He thinks his war chest and aggressive business style will win the day. It always has in the past.

He thinks he can single handedly reconstitute the GA. His money worked for him. Why not for hi chosen few?

Has he ever cared about regular people? Does he understand them? I doubt it.

Comment by Sir Reel Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:32 am
=== … what is his end game? ===

To win by outlasting the enemy while using his largess to try and change the dynamic by defeating opponents of his agenda. The consequences of which he doesn’t care. He just doesn’t care!

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:33 am
@Word

Yep. Major changes. Ferro went back to Tribuneland and let my people go.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:33 am
RC, I kid.

But keep this in mind when some newsie tries to b-s you that ownership doesn’t call the shots when it comes to editorials.

Edit writers are glorified flunkies, there to carry the boss’ water.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:39 am
- But Rauner dumped “right to work” almost a year ago…

Rauner may have stopped talking about it, but it’s still on his hit list.

The prevailing wage rhetoric was gone for awhile but then it has resurfaced as a proposed “unfunded mandate” reform.

Rauner is still Rauner.

Comment by Chicago 20 Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:42 am
His end game- The “trophyship” of buying the Office of Governor in Illinois. Nothing he has done to date indicates anything else to me. He’s not interested in the hard work that servant leadership entails, regardless of how many times he spouts off about being a public servant and workin’ for the taxpayers of Illinois. He enjoys the Crisis Chaos Method, and has implemented it well. There will be a legacy left behind, and all his dollars will not be able to erase the audio, video, and print footprints he is leaving behind. From now until after march 15, except more gnashing of the teeth and growling, along with these new “snazzy” flyers the Supes seem to be creating hourly. Governing will eventually happen without Rauner. Someday, the Republicans will have to realize that his gold is not worth their constituents lives. And, some may realize that sooner than others in the election process.

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:45 am
My first thought was a whole lot of dollars and not much sense.

Comment by WhoKnew Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:51 am
His trophy-ship of buying the office has proven disastrous. Making tons of money has not one thing to do with serving people. People are not assembly line products. I am convinced that the concept of service is something our governor is incapable of understanding……hence the destruction of our government (service).

Comment by AnonymousOne Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:51 am
ah, campaign malpractice. best portrayed by the Jeb! campaign and their extreme expenses in a losing cause.

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:51 am
But isn’t having a whole lot of dollars the epitome of a successful one?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:52 am
“Edit writers are glorified flunkies, there to carry the boss’ water.”

But when an editorial writer gets moved up to the role of Editor and Publisher, he miraculously breaks the shackles of ownership.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:55 am
–what is his end game?–

What’s the mystery? Follow the money, or lack thereof.

Who’s getting tuned up, who’s getting put out of business?

The governor made choices to sign the K-12 approp. and support the court effort to pay state employees without an appropriation (do you think the Superstars were going to work on the cuff)?

He also made choices to zero out higher ed and social services, and has not made any effort to date to get them a dime.

On top of that, the backlog of unpaid bills will likely nearly triple from the time he took office to $12 billion by June 30, requiring massive cuts to all areas of state government just to keep the lights on (when the state starts paying its light bill, again).

The fiscal year started July 1, 2015.

Today is March 9, 2016.

What is not clear?

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:57 am
His end game has not changed since his first day in office–paralyze state government to achieve non-budget agenda via forcing Dem legislators to capitulate before state sees total destruction of social services, higher education, and economy. His weakness–his ego, because has no exit strategy.

Comment by illinoised Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 10:57 am
===But what is Gov. Rauner’s strategy here?===

Raunerite Caucuses, disrupt the Legislative processes to lead to wearing down by Legislative leaders to his true goal of dismantling unions, which would mean an end to prevaing wage and collective bargaining.

The levers in this end game?

Destroy social services, and work with what’s left of it after Madigan’s surrender…

Close Illinois universities, and if Rsuner gets his way with unions, then try to limit the scope of the universities that are left.

“Submit to me, and I win. Battle me, and I’ll dismantle my wants with inaction. The game is called ‘I win’, and very few see that I’m winning at every turn. The sticking pinky is the blame, but I’ll spend whatever it takes to destroy, and spend even more to blame it on otheres. Ken Dunkin? A lever, nothing more. A walking pulse to press voting buttons. He’s nothing but an index finger or a travel itinerary to me. Dunkin just doesn’t know it yet.”

The end game is the ending of Illinois as we all know it.

There’s no good, no bad, no promising, no disappointing. Gone means gone. Illinois will never be the same, and it will take years to be half-full

Charleston?

If recommend Springsteen’s “My Hometown”. Rauner wants your hometown gone. That’s as real as it gets.

Eastern?

You will be a footnote. Tony Romo, Burl Ives, Jim Edgar, Dean Payton… “Did you know their school closed?”

A footnote. A blurb. A trivia question. Bruce Rauner will make that so, and when you send Reggie back, he’ll giggle how Charleston and Eastern couldn’t stop Rauner, and couldn’t stop him. Reggie is working against you both, and will be happy March 16th comes… and goes.

End game. End is right, but is not a game, and only a dream to Bruce Rauner.

“Vote Accordingly”

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:02 am
===But Rauner dumped “right to work” almost a year ago…===

I thought he had too, but remember the letter to “Dear City Mayor or Village President” posted last Friday?(https://capitolfax.com/2016/03/04/rauner-asks-mayors-to-help-pass-his-preferred-budget/)

Citing the second paragraph, “…..provide local control of collective bargaining and prevailing wage…..” And this letter is dated 6 days ago, not last year

Comment by Unicorn Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:02 am
Do the believe the opposite is also true? If a vote for Dunkin is a vote for Rauner being “divisive”, is a vote for Stratton a vote for Madigan being “obstructionist”? If Stratton is not entirely in Madigan’s pocket already, she will be if she is elected?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:02 am
I don’t think Rauner has an end game. It’s the “starve the beast” strategy intended to last as long as he holds the office in this state.

Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:07 am
===is a vote for Stratton a vote for Madigan being “obstructionist”?===

I don’t think you have one clue how to use that word in this premise.

How is that possible?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:08 am
- But Rauner dumped “right to work” almost a year ago… -

Rauners turnaround agenda items are moving targets. There are many who interpret Rauner as still pushing for right-to-work laws.
http://dailynorthwestern.com/2016/03/01/city/rauners-consideration-of-right-to-work-laws-unlikely-to-impact-evanston/

Comment by Joe M Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:11 am
Rauner is demonstrating what happens to a state that elects a Republican billionaire private equity type.
He said during 2014 campaign, I actually heard the sound bite, that he wanted to model his performance in office after his two friends, Snyder of MI and Walker of WI. As voters, we were warned, but the incredibly low turnout and anti-Quinn hissy fit by many union members doomed IL to four years of his brand of nihilism.

Comment by Patrick Mauro Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:13 am
-But what is Gov. Rauner’s strategy here?-

I believe it is two fold.
1) The complete destruction of Labor, especially AFSCME.
2) The destruction/crippling of most government functions so that they might be privatized by the private sector for profit.

The pain and destruction ARE his point and purpose. He IS winning in this way.

How can I make this assertion? Easy, look at what we thought would be his agency emphasis, business. Look at the executive personnel of DCEO. All political people with the exception of Schultz and a few others. Rauner had no intension of staffing the agency with business superstars to help our economy. His only intention was to see it collapse to justify a non-FOIA economic development corporation TO STRIP MINE the state of economic resources. And of course we can see what DCEO got done in a whole year. Nothing. Not a single job or business attracted that I can see in a whole year. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t see what was done. To help our businesses and economy is why most people voted for Rauner. He said he would run Illinois like a business. He wasn’t lying. We as a state did not ask for clarification as to what kind of business our state would be run like. Answer: A Strip Mining Company

ILGOP is a owned subsidiary of the Rauner Strip Mining Corporation

Vote accordingly

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:15 am
After a year of hearing him tell us that he hasn’t a social agenda and has no interest in attacking unions, watching him do a 180 immediately after his inauguration exposed Rauner as someone whom you cannot believe - ever.

He sandbagged his own party by getting them to stand fast against school funding, then cutting a deal behind their backs.

Either by accident or by design, this is the worst governor in Illinois history. You don’t empower him. You don’t listen to him. You don’t ask him questions. He has absolutely no credibility with anyone he hasn’t bought. Cut him off and find a work around so that Illinois can live until Bruce Rauner is booted out of office in 2018.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:16 am
Rauner wants to be remembered. Like Henry V and Agincourt. I suspect he’ll fall short of that, but never in his mind. “I will be remembered!!”

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:23 am
What is the end game? I have to ask what is the really “long haul” end game? Why is it so important to defeat Madigan? Why is it so important to gut unions? I can only reason that it is so that the last bastion of working people who can earn good wages, have decent benefits and a pension have to be deprived of these things. I can only reason that he wants to deprive working people from any organized way to contribute to political candidates that actually represent their interests. Rauner apparently loves the current level of income inequality in this country would like to do whatever he can to make it worse. Why men like him want to turn our country into a banana republic so that they can pay lower taxes while they already have more money than they could ever spend is beyond me. If he succeeds the pitchforks will be coming.

Comment by kimocat Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:23 am
Regarding malpractice –

That would seem to depend on resources and budget.

If both are unlimited, go for it.

If they are limited, the emphasis should be on the President. The Governor may be disliked, but the President’s endorsement is the key.

Given the choice between Sun Times and Obama, I’m going with the President nearly every time, unless I’ve got something left in the tank for the ST.

Comment by Gooner Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:25 am
@Jack Stephens

you do realize correctional officers and employees are AFSCME, right? you are aware Rauner is bent on the nothing less than the destruction of AFSCME, right? It’s not just Teachers Unions he’s after, bud.

Comment by Duke of Edgar Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:39 am
Patrick Mauro @ 11:13: Bingo.

Didn’t he also cite Sam Brownback and Rick “Voldemort” Scott as role models, too?

Comment by Northsider Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 12:01 pm
Chaos/paralysis in the budget/legislative process reduces faith in government as a solution and term limits and weakening unions reduces the ability of the existing political power structure to remain in power all toward his personal mission to rid the state of Madigan and the Democratic party’s grip on policy. The ultimate goal is to free corporate/business interests and taxpayers from existing constraints and be more like TX, WI, IN, etc.

Comment by School Finance Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 12:23 pm
==2) The destruction/crippling of most government functions so that they might be privatized by the private sector for profit.==

Right on, Honeybear!

There is money to be made with the destruction of government services. Taxes will still be collected, however, the pot goes to the private provider… who has no incentive to contain costs or provide adequate services… and who can walk away at any time.

Case in point: fund K-12. Oh, Rauner is, oh, so generous! So genuine and carin’. Sure. If you dismantle the public school system, the money is ready to shift to the privatized, for profit, charter school system. This is not about serving the public. It’s about money. And that is how the system is currently set up in Wisconsin. It’s a pipeline of tax dollars to private entities.

Perhaps there is a third motive:

3) Rauner is courting a vice-presidency position.

Shake ‘em up! Shake it up in DC! How fun to mess with the system at the national level. It’s celebrity time! Decreasing government and increasing chaos is a ripe environment to swoop in and make money. The impact on his life is only positive.

Comment by Up North Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 12:33 pm
Being a VP candidate would interfere too much in Rauner’s personal life. It ain’t gonna happen. Too many rules, and he wouldn’t be able to use his own personal security for trips to Morocco.

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 12:42 pm
Up North, I don’t think Rauner has national ambitions. I don’t know what makes me say that but it’s my gut. Work is being done in the dark and national spotlight is pretty bright. Think he’d get away with putting initials in place of names on his schedule as a national candidate?

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 12:59 pm
short version Rauner seems to have no actual grasp of true politics ormpolitical science. He acts more like a plaintiff attorney in a law suit. He has a hamhanded idea that the dem party will easily cave if he hurts people who need social setvices, and the misguided impression the Madigan, while powerful, is some kind of magic linchpin. He understands not at all the truly wide number of different positions and grps that are in one party or another. GOP people who need union votes and support, Unions who were actually at war with Madigan until the Gov saved Madigan and made him their ally, that kind of stuff. the gov just has no clue

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 1:07 pm
Look at the unfolding disasters that are Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Louisiana and Michigan if you want to know what Rauner’s end-game is for IL. Destroy the institutions of government, shrink it down, keep taxes low. Randian Paradise.

Comment by Moe Berg Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 1:11 pm
Maybe he really does thinks he’s winning the battle of hearts and minds. Maybe he really is something that rhymes with sociobath.

Comment by GOP Extremist Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 1:28 pm
Rauner dumped RTW because of the Freidrichs SCOTUS case. He was banking on Federal RTW.

Comment by Dale Cooper Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 1:37 pm
Testimony on Unbalanced Budget Response Act- Goldberg and Nuding lecturing Clayburn on the budget. AV vs underlying statutes-

http://livestream.com/blueroomstream/events/4946582

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 2:24 pm
Correction- Senator Clayborne.

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 2:28 pm
Rauner might say he dropped his RTW and other local anti-union demands, but the few legislators on both sides of the aisle I happen to talk to, don’t believe him. Has he changed any actual behavior? Rich would certainly know much better than me.

Rauner could prove he has dropped the anti-union non-negotiable demands, by simply signing something close to the clean bill on a property tax freeze already passed.

Comment by walker Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 3:44 pm
What is Rauner’s end game?

1. Make all public unions powerless. 2. Privatize most of state workers jobs. 3. Get rid of any law/rules & regs. that businesses do not like. 4. Reduce taxes 5. Reduce the Democrat’s power in IL. 6. Funnel more money from the state into businesses. 7. Try to change the courts to his liking. 8. Reduce or delete benefits for public employees. 9. Force cities & villages pay for their own K-12 schools. 10. Let Chicago crash and burn in order to change it from a Democratic city to a Republican city.

Comment by Mama Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 4:04 pm
== Unicorn - Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 11:02 am: ==

Thanks for pointing out that Rauner is still trying to get cities and villages to adopt ‘Right To Work’ or whatever they call it now.

Comment by Mama Wednesday, Mar 9, 16 @ 4:19 pm