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* Hard-hitting journamalism…
Governor Bruce Rauner spoke on-camera to ABC7 for about 10 minutes in his office on Wednesday. No topic was off limits. He discussed the state’s budget crisis, his relationship with House Speaker Michael Madigan, and what grade he would give himself as governor so far.
RAUNER: The simple fact is both sides need to want an agreement. If you don’t want an agreement, it won’t happen. That’s part of negotiations.
BACA: You are saying you want an agreement.
RAUNER: Boy, very much so.
BACA: But you’re saying the Democrats do not.
RAUNER: They don’t want any change, of any type.
#FacePalm.
To be fair, the station did go to Madigan’s district office and his 13th Ward home to get a response, but was told Madigan didn’t have time in his schedule to meet with a reporter.
Madigan’s people constantly complain (including on this blog) that reporters don’t provide the other side to Rauner’s statements, but then they don’t cooperate with reporters when Rauner is doing yet another one of his TV appearance rounds.
#FacePalm2.
By the way, Rauner gave himself a “very high grade” on “the things that we control,”and gave himself an “incomplete” on “things that the legislature controls.”
#FacePalm3.
* And it was all Turnaround Agenda all the time…
He’s the state’s chief executive, but rarely talks publicly of the scandalous violence in Illinois’ biggest city: hit by 4,300 shootings and nearly 800 killings last year.
FOX 32: Do you agree it’s a crisis, the shootings and killings in Chicago?
“It’s a massive tragedy. It’s just heartbreaking what’s happening in many of our neighborhoods,” Rauner said.
Rauner says his pro-business, turnaround agenda would help reduce Chicago violence
FOX 32: Should you be dropping everything else and focusing on stopping the killing?
“Um, so the question is, “what’s the answer?” Everybody’s got different ideas,” Rauner said. “There’s a lack of economic opportunity. Young people don’t see a future for themselves in so many of these neighborhoods. We have massively high unemployment. Massive unemployment in many neighborhoods in Chicago and around the state. And we have the worst-funded schools in low-income neighborhoods of any state in America. And I’m working to change those two facts, because that will have the long-term impact to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
People need to live in the short-term, too, governor. Long-term is certainly necessary, but what are you doing for them right now during this very real crisis? That was the question.
#FacePalm4.
…Adding… Reuters…
Ortiz and Garcia were victims of the 38th shooting on Chicago-area expressways in 2016, a record-high number for a city stung by a murder rate not seen in two decades. […]
Political gridlock in Springfield is also a factor, said Joe Moon, president of the Illinois Troopers Lodge 41 Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing state troopers.
Feuding between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature has kept the state without a full operating budget since July 2015. That meant no cadet hires in 2015 and 2016, and 2017 remains in limbo as well, state police said.
Since 2000, the number of sworn officers has declined steadily to just over 1,600 from around 2,100, Moon said.
State police said the budget impasse had no impact on the force’s work. Governor Rauner’s spokeswoman, Catherine Kelly, declined to comment beyond what state police said.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:26 am
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Follow up questions require a fairly reasonable amount of background knowledge and quick thinking. I am not impressed with the journalistic effort given with these questions.
Comment by Ole' Nelson Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:31 am
Chicago’s gun violence is the biggest political issue that no one at the state level is talking about.
Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:38 am
–”Um, so the question is, what’s the answer?–”
Geez, he makes the Daleys sound like Churchill.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:38 am
As awful and ridiculous Rauner sounds…
Rauner is the only one making noise.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:41 am
And as to what grade he would give himself…..good luck getting any honest, self reflection out of this man. It is always Madigan’s fault.
Comment by Ole' Nelson Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:45 am
When will someone in the media ask Rauner when he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to present a balanced budget?
Comment by TominChicago Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:45 am
What is a tragedy is 1.4%’s cutting funding for the Cease Fire/Cure Violence program March 2015. Yesterday’s post shows a direct cause and effect chart, Cease Fire funding was cut and over the next 18 months murders increased.
Apparently Illinois has to be competitive before being compassionate, with more profits for businesses before social service funding.
Yesterday’s peek into the mind of 1.4% showed a dark and selfish place.
Comment by Huh? Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:46 am
So if the Dems agree to the TA agenda, the violence will stop?
Many neighborhoods? Not in Rauner’s neighborhood. Hell, most people would never be allowed in HIS neighborhood.
So the TA agenda has helped in his neighborhood? No prevailing wage, no union bosses, so his neighbors can sleep well at night and send their kids to well-funded and wonderful schools? Is that all it is gonna take?
BALONEY!
Comment by ILGOV2018 Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:47 am
Rauner just keeps coming off as more and more disconnected from reality. Also, he is moving from heartless to mean, which is extremely concerning. And his sheer callousness is breathtaking.
Comment by RIJ Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:48 am
The display was sickening yesterday. Couldn’t flip a local news channel without the governor talking to basically a video stenographer. I think it might have been on WGN that the governor claimed that school funding reform was now a budget condition.
Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 11:59 am
Journamalism indeed.
How does Stacy Baca end up interviewing the governor? Where’s Charles Thomas or another reporter who actually covers politics or state government? Are the Rauner folks requesting certain reporters before agreeing to interviews?
You gotta give it to the Rauner press shop, they always ensure their guy gets batting practice softballs when doing Chicago television interviews.
The Rauner vs. Madigan media spin match is not match at all. It’s like one of those MMA fights that ends in 30 seconds. I get it — it’s wise not to have the Speaker sit for an interview, but why not steer the reporters to a Greg Harris interview — one conducted in the lobby of a social service provider that has had it’s funding cut? Can anyone on the Dem side play this game?
Comment by Roman Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:03 pm
I used to be a big fan of boxing. Muhammad Ali used dope-a-rope both to wear out his opponent but did not win fights without following it with a counter-attack.
Madigan has almost dope-a-roped himself into a loss, had better launch a counter-attack or he is going to lose the fight as well as the allegiance of a number of Democrats.
Comment by illinoised Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:17 pm
Wow. While Rauner has spent the last two years making the “Madigan” argument effective albeit in his oddly disjointed manner of speaking, the democrats and Madigan have remained silent. Their complete refusal to refute a delirious governor with the truth is not only infuriating, it is utter and complete incompetence to the point where an odd dude like Drury seems appealing. What are you doing, democrats?
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:29 pm
Roman, last week Charles Thomas referred to Rauner as a “fiscal conservative,” so I doubt you’d get any more thoughtful journalism on that front.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:34 pm
If only those gang bangers would leave their unions, put term limits on their leaders, and drop prevailing wage for their drug and gun sales, then we could solve this.
Or, the Governor could, you know, put back the funding for anti-violence programs that were proven to be making a difference.
A more cynical person could suppose the cutting of those funds, knowing what would result, was a strategic move to worsen conditions in order to create an issue to beat the city’s Mayor with. A cynical person would perhaps think that. Rauner’s pathetic and non-committal response to it
reminds me of this scene of James Brolin from The West Wing. Mr. Pritzger, pay attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvr1T1sFvEg
Comment by Newsclown Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:35 pm
FOX 32: “Should you be dropping everything else and focusing on stopping the killing?”
Rauner: “I’ve been droppin my g’s from the beginning. What more can I do?”
Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:35 pm
It might be helpful to have a competing economic development plan from the Democrats.
Just raising the minimum wage to $15 dollars will not cause jobs to magically appear in these troubled neighborhoods
Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:41 pm
What do you expect from the, ‘If it bleeds, it leads’ media?
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 12:47 pm
There’s a lot of bleeding going on in Illinois. In my opinion it hasn’t been covered nearly enough.
Comment by RIJ Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 1:18 pm
Good leaders accept more of the blame and less of credit than they deserve. Guess Rauner’s constant blaming the other side is prohibgbhenis a bad leader.
But he is the only voice speaking and people will follow him if their is no voice of reason in the debate.
No one is saying that his turn around agenda has failed in other states so why try it here.
Comment by Publius Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 2:03 pm
“Rauner says his pro-business, turnaround agenda would help reduce Chicago violence”.
If a pro business agenda stooped violence, then Chicago would have the lowest murder rate. As the flood of recent emails shows, no big city mayor is cozier with business than Rahm Emanuel. It’s the corporate agenda that’s killing Chicago. Deindustrializing and driving down wages do not make a city great
Comment by Truthteller Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 2:33 pm
—-Deindustrializing and driving down wages do not make a city great—-
Driving out businesses and jobs doest make a city great either
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 6:18 pm
“He’s the state’s chief executive, but rarely talks publicly of the scandalous violence in Illinois’ biggest city: hit by 4,300 shootings and nearly 800 killings last year.”
Chicago has a lower per capita murder rate than dozens of other cities around the nation, including Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, and St. Louis. During recent months, the media has been exaggerating the violent crime problem in Chicago, in part because journalists don’t understand how to interpret statistics. The crime numbers in Chicago are big because the city is big. Los Angeles and New York City have lower per capita murder rates than Chicago, but that’s only 2 cities. Ironically, the high number of recent immigrants in Los Angeles and New York City may be the biggest reason why their per capita murder rates are lower, notwithstanding Trump’s silly talk about the criminal proclivities of illegal immigrants.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 5, 17 @ 7:51 pm
Is he trying out for celebrity jeopardy answering every question with a question?
Comment by Rabid Friday, Jan 6, 17 @ 8:50 am