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* National Review has published a fawning profile of Dick Uihlein…
As a young man in 1969, Uihlein learned about getting things done in politics when he knocked on doors for a little-known congressional candidate in a special election: Phil Crane, who won that race and whose career as a conservative in the House of Representatives lasted until 2005. “It was a huge upset and it was done through the grassroots — and that’s where a lot of my activity is now,” says Uihlein. For a long while, however, Uihlein put politics on hold. “I was so dang busy building this company,” he says. “There was so much going on.” Decades passed. When his father died, in 2005, he knew he wanted to get more involved.
Around this time, Uihlein met John Tillman, a businessman who was looking for work after selling his sporting-goods store. “I’d been getting the Uline catalogue for a while,” says Tillman. “So I wrote a letter to the owner.” They met and discussed a sales job, but soon their conversation turned to Tillman’s real passion: creating a network of freedom-minded organizations in Illinois. “Dick became my anchor donor,” says Tillman. An initial gift of $50,000 helped Tillman launch the Illinois Policy Institute, a free-market think tank. Millions followed, destined for a variety of projects, including the Liberty Justice Center, a public-interest law firm with national sway: Its Janus v. AFSCME case, which challenges the rights of labor unions to collect fees from nonmembers, is now before the Supreme Court. A ruling, expected by the end of June, has the potential to halt a major source of revenue for Democrats.
Uihlein also donated to candidates for office in Illinois, trying to strengthen the Republican presence in Springfield as well as to make the GOP caucus there more conservative. Democrats still dominate the state legislature, but Uihlein won’t bow to pessimism: “Nothing is hopeless.” He points to the election of Governor Bruce Rauner in 2014 as proof that Republicans can compete in a state that many other conservatives have written off. Yet 2017 featured tax hikes as well as Rauner’s approval of an abortion-funding bill, prompting Uihlein to break with him and donate heavily to Jeanne Ives, a conservative state lawmaker who nearly beat Rauner in a March primary. “Jeanne proved that people are hungry for change,” says Uihlein. He’s now skeptical about Rauner’s ability to deliver it but says that the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, J. B. Pritzker, would be a disaster for Illinois: “I will vote for Rauner over Pritzker.” […]
Uihlein’s political activism has made him a person of interest in the media, even though he rarely grants interviews. Crain’s Chicago Business invoked the bogeymen of liberalism when it dubbed him “the Koch of conservative politics in Illinois.” Recent articles in Politico, the Washington Post, and elsewhere have treated him with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, and the Daily Beast even dug up a story about a woman who claims to have suffered from employment discrimination at Uline — a tale that wouldn’t have interested its editors if Uihlein weren’t a major funder of Republicans. Uihlein doesn’t relish the attention, but he recognizes its inevitability: “I’m not going to give up supporting the people who deserve it. That’s what they want me to do.”
* Buried in that Daily Beast article was some info about Mr. Uihlein’s health…
Regulators in Wisconsin say they have found probable cause to believe that Liz Uihlein and her company, industrial supply giant Uline, may have refused to hire an executive because she suffered from lupus, an autoimmune disease, according to internal state government records obtained by The Daily Beast. Uline denies the charges. […]
The job applicant said in her complaint that, during her interview, Uihlein even inquired about her prescribed dosage of Prednisone, a steroid used to treat lupus, “which is a highly inappropriate line of conversation during a formal interview and none of her business.” […]
In a response to the complaint, Uline, the company, flatly denied that it had declined to hire the applicant due to her medical condition. Uihlein’s discussion of that condition, the company’s attorney wrote, “was one of compassion, not discrimination. Ms. Uihlein relayed her and her husband’s own personal experiences with his autoimmune disease in an effort to empathize with Complainant.”
“Yes, Ms. Uihlein referenced her own husband’s personal experiences as detailed in my initial complaint,” the applicant responded in a written retort, “but it wasn’t to empathize with me over my disease but rather to further justify her concerns that she didn’t believe someone with an autoimmune disease could do the job.”
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 2:52 pm
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I don’t care what the reason was for the line of questioning about her health. Discussion of someone’s health is absolutely not appropriate and is most likely illegal as part of an interview.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 3:00 pm
The scribbler here, John J. Miller, is the same dude who wrote the National Review hit piece on Rauner.
Ives also got a lot of positive play at and was endorsed by National Review.
Through my supernatural powers of deduction, I’m guessing JJ is tight with Proft.
Business relationship? I hope not. That would be unethical.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 3:03 pm
My favorite Uihlein is Wally Uihlein, the president and chief executive officer of the company controlling Titleist, FootJoy, Pinnacle, and Scotty Cameron. Richard Uihlein isn’t.
To the post,
The goal is to “Kirk” the run of Rauner, to make it ioossibme for Rauner to get a coalition of Republicans to build upon to get get enough Dems after to get a victory in the end.
The continued slighting of Rauner, passively or not, and making Ives a shadow Rauner can’t shake, this work continues that “thinking”.
Ironically, the GOP let Rauner, a stranger, in our house, then Rauner let the IPI and Proft in his house and the implosion is still in recovery mode. It’s delicious, watching Proft, Ives, Uihlein, Brady, Rauner, Tillman, Diana Rauner…
… the RaunerS want to destroy Illinois, while Proft, Uihlein, Tillman, they’re upset the RaunerS are destroying the state in a way they don’t approve. Crazy stuff.
So crazy, that you get articles like this.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 3:15 pm
===a tale that wouldn’t have interested its editors if Uihlein weren’t a major funder of Republicans.===
Based on what evidence? What a juvenile excuse to ignore criticism.
Comment by People Over Parties Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 3:19 pm
It is hard to fathom that with all his money Uihlein can be so dense. Illinois is right up there with NY, CA, in terms of Dem infiltration. Do these nitwits actually think Ives could get more then 30 percent in a general. Why not moderate and actually accomplish something. As Karl Rove repeatedly says, you can’t do jack S unless you win
Comment by Sue Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 3:48 pm
Say Dick Uihlein, if “Jeanne proved that people are hungry for change” what did Roy Moore prove?
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 3:51 pm
Yes, we are hungry for a change, but in all seriousness, GOP could have run Snoopy against Rauner. Voters were showing their disgust in Rauner, not support of the other candidates.
Comment by LoisLearned2much Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 4:50 pm
Snoopy would have won. More likable.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 5:40 pm
Ives was the worst Republican candidate since Allen Keys. She couldn’t get elected state wide against any Dem candidate unless it was Ken Dunkin, and she might still lose.
Comment by Long Time R Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 5:50 pm
@Sue. I seldomly agree with you on issues, but you hit the nail squarely on the head with your comment re Uihlein. Sadly, Uihlein likely cannot even pronounce that word “moderation”…much less comprehend its meaning…and potential benefit.
Comment by Yiddishcowboy Thursday, May 24, 18 @ 6:42 pm
Yes but not for her kind of change ? Here’s the thing the GOP needs Challenge the status quo but make your points without zealotry ….win a seat or two and move on…look at you caucus see any long term success? All the self righteousness may play well in you headbut it aint playin in the general. take wins and move forward…BR you should have adopted same plan three years ago
Comment by NorthsideNoMore Friday, May 25, 18 @ 12:39 am
Dick Uihlein has destroyed conservatism in Illinois. He should never have backed Rauner. He only did it to further the interests of John Tillman and Dan Proft.
Comment by lastly Friday, May 25, 18 @ 8:24 am