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* Background is here. From the script of a new JB Pritzker TV ad that I’m told will be airing tomorrow…
Across the country, Democratic and Republican Governors spoke out against their state supporting Trump and keeping children away from their parents.
Rauner wasn’t giving it a thought and now we learn why.
Rauner has been profiting on Donald Trump’s policy.
Rauner is the owner of this company which is paid millions to keep children from their parents.
Bruce Rauner, that’s a disgrace.
OK, first of all, Rauner officially retired from GTCR in October of 2012. GTCR didn’t invest in Correct Care Solutions until 2014. GTCR co-owns the company with two other companies, Audax Private Equity and Frazier Healthcare. As I told you earlier today, Rauner hasn’t yet directly made any money off that GTCR investment. Audax Private Equity lists its own investment as “Unrealized.” And, despite what the Pritzker ad says, Rauner has spoken out against the family separation policy.
* But most importantly, this is what Correct Care Solutions actually does…
We provide medical and behavioral health services for nearly 250,000 patients located in state hospitals, forensic treatment and civil commitment centers, as well as local, state and federal correctional facilities.
The company provides healthcare. It’s not “paid millions to keep children from their parents.”
* Like many of you, I’ve lost sleep at night over this absolutely obscene federal debacle. This tweet has been open in a browser tab all week and I find myself looking at it multiple times a day with the same disbelief and shock as the first time I saw it…
14 month old boy separated from immigrant parents at the border, was returned after 85 days, covered with lice, had apparently not been bathed - part of lawsuits filed by states against Trump administration @LisaDNews reports @NewsHour tonight
— Judy Woodruff (@JudyWoodruff) July 5, 2018
I just want to scream at somebody about this whole Kafkaesque nightmare.
And, for sure, this new Pritzker ad will strike a chord out there with people who will never know the whole story. It’s definitely a “get tough on Rauner” spot.
But it’s also dishonest.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Here’s the ad…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Rauner campaign spokesman Alex Browning…
Pritzker’s latest ad intentionally misrepresents the facts of an unsubstantiated story to weave a false and deceitful narrative. The Pritzker campaign should immediately take down this dishonest and shameful ad.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Bernie…
Galia Slayen, spokeswoman for Pritzker, stood by the ad. She called it “disgraceful and disgusting” that Rauner is “an owner of a company that has been paid to keep children separated from their families.”
Gonna be a long summer and fall. I hope the Pritzker campaign doesn’t whine when they are lied about because I’m gonna bring that quote right back up.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:26 pm
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Madigan and his campaigns have never been known for their honesty.
Comment by Just Me Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:34 pm
It’s also completely unnecessary. JB will win by focusing on Rauner, not bringing in Trump. Keep Trump out of this race, or it will run amok and give oxygen to a bad governor.
Don’t do this.
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:37 pm
Stretch before you reach team JB. You’re better than that
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:39 pm
Who’s giving JB this bad advice?
Beat Rauner. Trump isn’t on the ballot.
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:40 pm
===But it’s also dishonest.===
If you can’t run a campaign or an ad that honestly portrays the damage and truth of Rauner and what his time as governor has done to Illinois…
… and you are dishonest to actual events….
…
You Are Doing It Wrong
A stunner that this rolled out.
Speaks volumes… are you not talented enough to message with all Rauner has given you… and with Trump too…
Talent needs not dishonesty.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:40 pm
And Ives’s never was Madigan’s avorite republican. That was dishonest and deceptive. This is called karma. Either way Rauner is still invested in the practice irregardless if he is profiting or not.
Comment by Real Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:43 pm
When Rauner was dishonest about Ive’s he called it politics… So therefore this ad against Rauner is just poltics according to Rauner. Why complain about it? Rauner says it’s what you signed up for in politics.
Comment by Real Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:47 pm
Unfortunately, this won’t be the last “brutally deceptive” ad from either candidate. I agree with OW that JB ought to be able to win on Rauner’s horrible record, but it seems the folks put in charge of campaigns just cannot resist putting up this kind of stuff.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:48 pm
Tomorrow’s poll question:
Who is the most trustworthy candidate?
* Rauner
* Pritzker
* McCann
Good luck explaining your answer.
Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:52 pm
Seems kinda desperate to me.
The ad belongs on the toilet.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 6:58 pm
===Rauner is still invested in the practice irregardless if he is profiting or not.===
It’s quite dishonest. There are plenty of other ways to win. Political hackery knows no bounds, I suppose.
Comment by People Over Parties Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:02 pm
If JB’s team wanted to hit this issue the question is does the company have a history of bad care. There are a several examples of it in this debacle besides the case Rich cites which is not healthcare, but basic human care.
For example, there is evidence the pre-teens and teens are being medicated for compliance. That’s a big no no. If that was this company, it’s still a reach, but fair. This isn’t fair. It’s after he left, so again, I’m not going to hold it on Rauner–but the company has issues that are clear
https://gazette.com/news/el-paso-county-jail-care-provider-under-fire/article_41b25b0d-806e-5436-af31-b7c47eaf39cf.html
As to whether Trump is on the ballot…well, track his approval with generic Republican numbers and that tells a different story. The Republican Party up and down the ballot is tied to his prospects.
Comment by Archpundit Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:15 pm
Ownership is semantics, you own mutualfund with shares of Ford, you are an owner. 1.4% have a financial position in GTCR which owns of Correct Care Solutions. He owns it.
Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:20 pm
Once you cross this bridge you lose the moral high ground.
Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:35 pm
Do it, step on the Govs throat, quit playing patty cake spend $5 million on this and the Supreme Court pick the rest of July. End this lying Govs run now. Why wait? What so the Gov can lie first? Oh wait that’s been his entire tenure.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:38 pm
why do politicians have to be so slimy? It gets so tiresome.
Comment by anon616xx Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:40 pm
Rich,
I’ve got to agree with your assessment. And Oswego is right. J.B. has so much real stuff to use against Rauner, there’s no reason to run a dishonest, “cute by half” ad. Dishonest ads are all Rauner has. He has to go there. J.B. doesn’t, and he diminished himself having done so. Rauner can be put on the ropes and aggressively kept there with the truth. No need for this garbage.
Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:40 pm
Don’t do this. I dislike Rauner but this is sinking to his level. BTW I very much enjoyed the moniker Governor Eeyore that you used earlier today Rich.
Comment by Stormsw7706 Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:45 pm
So, some of the people all the time is only good for 1.4%?
Comment by McLincoln Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:45 pm
The stakes are high. Apparently this is how we do political advertising nowadays. This ad seems par for the course lately, and it makes me sad that we’ll see more like this from all sorts of groups before November.
Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:48 pm
The problem with ads like these is that they might cry wolf for the truly bad stuff. Stick with Rauner’s terrible record, and yes, tie him to Trump in ways that are accurate.
Really, I’m getting tired of this kind of crap. I need to see Pritzker doing ads for a progressive income tax, marijuana legalization, health insurance expansion and other stuff many others and I want from government.
Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 7:56 pm
Hey, when the leader of the free world sets the bar….you can openly tell lies, and intentionally mislead, twist and be generally and openly dishonest….hey…guess what….
The gloves are off. Good.
Comment by northernwatersports Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:13 pm
What do the co-owners feel about the various lawsuits Correct Care Solutions is facing around the US? Is there nothing they can do except be a money pipeline? Are they not in charge just like Rauner? The buck stops somewhere, and Pritzker’s team needs keep the focus on that issue without muttling the message. There’s a theme here… Remember the nursing home scandals- another GTCR investment.
http://m.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/jul/02/firm-takes-over-youths-jail-care-201807/
Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:16 pm
–The company provides healthcare.–
Let’s not go nuts. That’s what they get paid for, by taxpayers, but the public record tells a different story.
They appear to work the margins and cut corners like Rauner did down in those Florida nursing homes.
And they’re certainly enabling the unholy barbarism of our country’s child separation policy by taking money to deliver their rather dubious level of care.
Can we presume that Rauner expects to make money off of these ghouls? He likes their business model and expect it to pay off? That’s why he’s invested in them?
Google “Correct Care Solution deaths” and you’ll get 1.25 million hits, with horror stories from all over the country.
That’s who’s providing health care to the children our country has taken from their parents.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:18 pm
Vanilla. Spot on.
Comment by BlueDogDem Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:34 pm
I don’t agree. Rauner is invested in the business providing healthcare for the immigrant detainees. However it is indirect. For Pritzger’s sake he might avoid investing in the company that makes a profit from the bandaids used on the detainees.
This a bad move because it is dishonest as the ad completely misrepresents the responsibility of the company to the immigration policy. Why not just say Rauner is a Republican that did not go the convention to fight against Trump’s nomination. That is where the failure is. Geez.
Comment by lost in the weeds Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:37 pm
Sam McCann’s candidacy continues to look better and better by the day compared to the Rauner-Pritzker dreck.
I will also go on a limb and predict that there will be at least one downstate precinct where McCann wins the majority of its votes. If so I say it will be somewhere in either his Senate district or that of Andy Manar.
Comment by Leatherneck Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:38 pm
Profit or not, for me it shows that Rauner has a pattern of not caring who gets hurt in the pursuit of his goals. Whether his goal is an eventual profit or a budget stalemate, Rauner has a record of trampling the powerless.
And heck, no one is forcing Rauner to stay invested in fund X.
Comment by A Jack Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:43 pm
I think too much negative advertising hurts Democratic campaigns. I wish I had more data for that sentiment. I think it drives down turnout among very liberal people more than it does for Republicans and is thus a net negative for Democrats. It seems like the best Democratic campaigns use negative advertising judiciously and less than positive advertising.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 8:49 pm
The toliet will make it all better.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:00 pm
The dishonesty of Pritzer is worse than the transgression purported by Pritzer. I agree with Rich’s concern about the truth. If there is no truth, freedom will be lost.
Comment by lost in the weeds Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:00 pm
“as the ad completely misrepresents the responsibility of the company to the immigration policy”
- Yet it simultaneously exposes the interests of private equity groups.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:30 pm
Sadly this is where we’re at. And for those that say “Trump isn’t on the ballot” spare me. He is the leader of the Republican Party and he’s made it clear that Republicans are either with him or they’re not. It would be political malpractice for Pritzker to ignore that.
Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:33 pm
VM and OW nail it. With the real scandals of the Rauner administration why on earth are they doing this? The only reason is that US voters have richly rewarded dishonesty, but that doesn’t make it right.
Another failure of the 2-party system - trying to outlie each other.
Comment by Deadbeat Conservative Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:34 pm
Word said it better than I could, but if I may add…55% of Republicans support ripping babies from their parents. This is who Republicans - the *majority* of Republicans - this is who they are. If you are a Republican who says this isn’t who we are, you are just plain wrong. Own up and leave or embrace what you really are. Any and every attack is fair game in my book.
https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2550
Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:43 pm
–The dishonesty of Pritzer is worse than the transgression purported by Pritzer. –
What? The “purported transgression” is that Rauner is profiting off the U.S. policy of taking children from their parents.
A politician lying in a political spot is worse than that, in your world?
Go flush yourself (followin’ the governor’s example and keepin’ it civil).
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:47 pm
Rauner will spend the next week clutching his pearls and summoning his fainting goats, acting all victimized, swanning about and using this against Pritzger, and taking the focus off the real issues over this… just like on the national stage, the “civility” issue is what the conservative side deflects to regarding the vociferous protests.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 9:51 pm
===The dishonesty of Pritzer is worse than the transgression purported by Pritzer.===
(Sigh)
No.
What’s so obviously embarrassing is that Rauner has so many ways to be sliced and diced, “Bruce Rauner failed”, over and over with proof and story, proof and story, proof and story… so many…
A bush league, amateur move like this seems to indicate a few things, at least for me;
1) This is the same crew that are clueless to their own oppo, and haven’t learned to turn the corner on things, and are in the dark on any more Blago stuff.
2) They seemingly are rutterless to the whims of the “flavor of the second” and aren’t disciplined enough to play it straight with the most vulnerable incumbent in America, who is double digits underwater and is losing everywhere, less downstate, and is considered, on top of that, the worst Republican governor in America. And they serve… this?
3) Illinois is Illinois. Play to the strengths of being an Illinois Dem in Illinois, not try to fabricate a thingy that might be feasible for a national narrative. They are losing sight of the micro, in this case, Illinois, to the macro, the national fervor. The national fervor is there. Focus, Pritzker Crew, focus.
4) It’s one thing to give no quarter, no aid, no comfort.., it’s another to be talented enough to hold accountable an incumbent governor to that charge. This is holding no one accountable, it’s a flim-flam-sham of a linky-link.
I dunno.
===The dishonesty of Pritzer is worse than the transgression purported by Pritzer.===
No, the transgression I see is malpractice to the task at hand.
Can’t stand watching bad baseball being played, can’t stomach bad politics being run out of campaign shops.
… and it’s dishonest to boot.
Be better.
OW
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 10:27 pm
==Rauner will spend the next week clutching his pearls and summoning his fainting goats, acting all victimized, swanning about and using this against Pritzger, and taking the focus off the real issues over this… just like on the national stage, the “civility” issue is what the conservative side deflects to regarding the vociferous protests.–
When your campaign tag line is “Go eff yourself, JB,” any appeals for “civility” are ludicrous.
It will be quite a spectacle to watch Rauner appeal for “honesty” and “civility.”
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 10:53 pm
Personally I’d like to see a series of sharply-focused ads about what’s happened in Illinois in the past 3 years:
–Cuts to social services (eloquently described by honeybear here)
–Tens of thousands getting locked out of Medicaid improperly by an IES that doesn’t function right
–”Death by a thousand cuts” of our peripheral state uni system, which the gov really, really doesn’t respect or care about, or perhaps even understand (the reason they exist)
–Quincy, Quincy, Quincy
–Cairo, Cairo, Cairo - Little Egypt generally
–C-U and that 6 employees thing (grrr)
There’s plenty of fodder - and plenty more where that came from.
OTOH, for-profits that provide healthcare to for-profit prisons and detention centers - yeah, that sounds about par for the course. But it’s really more for an in-depth investigative series (”How GTCR makes its investors (even) rich(er)”). The gov may not have realized any profits yet, but at some point he won’t be gov, and at some point he’ll realize profits, because that’s how PE operates. And private prisons, and the private providers they outsource services to make big profits, eventually, for their owners/investors.
But you could hit the same heartstrings by talking about the dearth of nurses (outsourced, iirc) in Illinois’ very own prisons, if you do it right.
I dunno what’s up with JB’s team at the moment.
Comment by dbk Tuesday, Jul 10, 18 @ 11:09 pm
A retiree with a portfolio has vested government interest pledged to an unnamed charity that could be the Rauner family foundation
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:13 am
Fair enough OW and Word. I think we must not use lying even for political ads, because it harms the state and the country. A tool of autocrats and totalitarians is men make the truth. Let’s not go down this road of normalizing lies. The ad language is a lie since no profit has been made.
I am outraged by the detentions and separations.
I am more outraged that the maker of the policy got nominated. The maker of the policy should not be in his position . The US Senate just rebuked him for his NATO tweets yesterday. 97-2. They also added some items about Russia meddling issues. Finally Congress is taking some action. The states and local governments are one of the protections against a failing federal government. States need to maintain credibility.
And the ad is bad strategy.
If I post again I will attempt to stay within the topic.
Comment by lost in the weeds Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:03 am
—OTOH, for-profits that provide healthcare to for-profit prisons and detention centers - yeah, that sounds about par for the course.
What you do is point out how he cannibalized either the companies or the services they provided and compare that to what he did to the State of Illinois.
He looks bad in both and it cements general feeling about the Rauner with voters that he is more concerned with himself and what he wants and not the average person in Illinois.
Comment by Archpundit Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 1:05 am
–The ad language is a lie since no profit has been made.–
I doubt Rauner invested in Correct Care as a public service. Their track record is atrocious — and Rauner is counting on it to make a profit. That’s why he invested in them.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 7:46 am
>Personally I’d like to see a series of sharply-focused ads about what’s happened in Illinois in the past 3 years:
Strongly agree. Plenty of fodder for Pritzker to go as negative as he wants, plus highlight the positive economic and human impact of social services, higher education and effective management of state agencies when they’re not being run into the ground.
Comment by Earnest Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 7:52 am
The unkonwn pending profit has no oversight, open the books
Comment by Rabid Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 8:05 am
The idea that Rauner is innoculated from this attack because GTCR hasnt sold the stock yet is ridiculous. When grandma send me a $50 check, I’m $50 richer even if I haven’t cashed it yet.
Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 8:16 am
=Personally I’d like to see a series of sharply-focused ads about what’s happened in Illinois in the past 3 years:=
We have no one to blame but ourselves. The folks over at the Pritzker shop aren’t dummies and maybe we will ultimately see these types of ads. My take is that it probably doesn’t poll as well as this.
We’re living in a time where politics has become very emotional and guttural. The merits of policy are largely ignored and instead we look to see if they’re being advanced by Democrats or Republicans and that in turn informs our opinions. We could blame the current President for much of that but it was years in the making.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 8:19 am
Bruce Rauner called Jeannie Ives “Madigan’s favorite Republican”
I think the horse left the barn a long time ago with respect to pearl-clutching over accuracy of ads.
In the Trump dominated world we live in, the only thing matters is if it works. Sorry to be the cynic, but that’s the political world we live in today.
Comment by ILPundit Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 8:31 am
doubt Rauner invested in Correct Care as a public service. Their track record is atrocious — and Rauner is counting on it to make a profit. That’s why he invested in them.
-Exactly.
Comment by Real Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:00 am
Let’s face it: Truth and accuracy are not the hallmarks of campaign ads for either party. Many ads contain distortions, half-truths, and false allegations. Neither party has clean hands.
Comment by anon2 Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:54 am
So, Alex, it’s okay to invest in unsavory companies so long as you don’t profit from them?
Comment by Jocko Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 12:06 pm
They are PAID to provide healthcare. Being paid to provide healthcare does NOT mean healthcare is actually provided. Especially when you are dealing with a for-profit company charged with caring for a vulnerable population.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 3:56 pm
I am guessing they are running the ads because Trump’s concentration camp policy polls in the toilet.
Would we feel differently if we knew that the baby covered in love was a patient of Rauner’s firm?
Yes, this argument is not going to get you to November, but I think it was designed to throw Rauner off of his rythym, and to poke back at Rauner over the toilet ads, which were intended to be demeaning.
These guys are playing head games with each other right now.
Comment by Juvenal Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:22 pm
==Bruce Rauner called Jeannie Ives “Madigan’s favorite Republican”==
She is Madigan’s favorite Republican because she makes Republicans seem like narrow minded hateful bigots. In that sense, Rauner’s ads were dead on accurate.
Comment by Memo From Turner Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:29 pm
MFT makes an interesting point.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:33 pm
One way Correct Care Solutions works the profit-making angle for its owners and investors:
https://amp.tcpalm.com/amp/922682001
Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 6:01 pm
Ad writes itself: Are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 6:17 pm
Of course it’s dishonest, Rich. It was put out by a Chicago Democrat, wasn’t it?
Comment by Jones Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 7:21 pm
Lived in this state.
Comment by Jones Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 7:24 pm