Posted on 03/07/2014 4:30:18 PM PST by mandaladon
(Reuters) - Illinois, the longtime home of President Barack Obama, has chosen Democrats for president in every election since 1992 and for governor since 2002. But this year Republicans, finding a weak incumbent in Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, see an opening.
The Republican front-runner ahead of the March 18 primary, venture capitalist Bruce Rauner, has emerged as a deep-pocketed and potentially formidable rival. The Republican National Committee already has staff on the ground in Illinois and plans to add more this spring.
Quinn eked out a victory four years ago by less than 1 percentage point and his job approval rating has hovered around 34 percent as voters complain about the state's anemic job growth and hobbled economic recovery. In recent months, Quinn's fortunes have improved thanks to passage of a pension reform bill and after former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley, brother of the longtime Chicago mayor, abandoned a short-lived primary challenge. But political insiders still view Quinn as vulnerable.
"Quinn is in deep trouble and the closer we get to November, the more vulnerable he looks," said RNC spokesman Ryan Mahoney.
Public Policy Polling has called Quinn's re-election chances a "toss-up," while the Cook Political Report favors Quinn based on Democrats' heavy registration advantage in the state, much of that in the state's largest city, Chicago.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Sounds similar to the opportunity to take over a bankrupt company as CEO.
Why bother? The legislature would still be deep Rat, you would have to deal with Chicago. And everything would the fault of the GOP governor.
Ah yes, the candidate will promptly "compromise" and "move to the middle" so as to not scare off those precious independents and moderates, who might (gasp!) vote for the real Marxist Dem anyway.
I hope he loses. The only IL Republican who should get support is Truax against Turbin' Durbin for the Senate.
Rauner may be a Republican, but not a conservative.
What a grand opportunity. Replace the Governor and put the Mayor in prison, in keeping with Chicago traditions. Maybe even the Mayor’s ill mannered brother could go with him. Then remind everyone that Hillary is a Chicago trained protege of Bill Ayers.
Don’t wake me up yet. This dream is too delicious.
Reps “seize” while lefties “win”
“The only IL Republican who should get support is Truax against Turbin’ Durbin for the Senate.”
I like him too.
Another wave governorship? Could help us big time in redistricting the state.
If elected, will the Republican governor make serious efforts to clean up the corruption in Chicag-hole? Illinois has largely become a punch line because of all the shady goings-on in their most populous city. Time to take out the trash!
I don’t care if he’s a Martian. When the other candidates join forces to run ads against him and call themselves “Reliable Republicans”, I know he is the right choice. If he doesn’t win, we may as well stay with the RAT we’ve got.
It’s a trap!
As soon as an Illinois RINO iselected, there will be a complete financial collapse of Illinois, to be blamed on the pubbies, by the MSM megaphone.
The Combine. There is nothing in American politics more evil than this.
It is every collusion and corruption of Rinos and Dems made systematic and institutional.
He has no connection to the Combine. That’s why he’s getting my vote. I don’t care if he strangled old people to death with his bare hands and sold the bodies to make Soylent Green.
Quinn is a weak sister with a big mouth so taking him out should be a priority.
Then the Governor can set up commissions to investigate Bill Ayer’s educational projects, Obama’s very strange and possibly illegal “buying” of his house and land from someone other than Rezko, the Communist Party connections of Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill), and demand that Obama turn over his real birth certificate to show that he is actually eligible to run for any political office in Illinois.
Just dreaming but.....
In fact, it won't matter matter if a Republican wins, or WHICH of the Republicans wis. Mike Madigan, IL Speaker of the House (D-Chicago) has a lock-grip on this state. Unless Madigan gets voted out which is IMPOSSIBLE there's no chance of saving this state.
Any Republican who might beat the incompetent Pat Quinn won't be able to do squat while Madigan runs the Illinois House.
FACT.
His Campaign Manager is a crook, as is the media polling company he's employed for his campaign.
Ask yourself why someone would spend upwards of $8m OF HIS OWN MONEY to fund a campaign to win an election for an office that pays under $200k/year.
It ain't because he loves Illinois, and he's not going to be a benevelent Governor. He does business with the State, he's just gonna route more to the companies he owns or has interest in if he wins.
He's a crook, his campaign manager is a crook, everyone he associates with are crooks.
I refuse to vote in this corrupt bullshit system in Illinois. I'm outta here in 2 years anyway, good luck.
If You KNOW Rauner, Then It’s NO Rauner
http://norauner.com/2014/01/30/new-video-exposes-rauners-plans-for-insider-deals-as-governor/
Are they already preparing a cell in the State Prison for him, along with all the other ex-Governors?
Republicans selling out to Rahm’s billionaire in GOP race
CHICAGO, Illinois Apri1 4, 2013 - The Illinois GOP was already a mess before top donors and advisors to Rahm Emanuel began waging their hostile takeover. One of them is also running for governor…as a Republican.
Fund managers are in the business of valuation, of buying up depressed assets, and selling them for profit. And make no mistake about it. With the Illinois Republican Party in shambles, its political assets are selling cheap these sad days. Dirt cheap.
Like a Detroit strip mall.
So who’s buying and, more importantly, why?
One of those venture - some would say vulture - capitalists is Bruce Rauner, who has wasted no time forming an exploratory committee for governor. According to State Board of Elections reports, the former GTCR chairman has raised more than $1.3 million in funds - most of them from out-of-state contributors. He says he plans to put $50 million of his own money into his GOP bid.
GOP operatives in Illinois are salivating. Rauner is a guy who can line some serious pockets. A number of conservative leaders and non-profit Illinois policy wonks have been falling over themselves touting Rauner, hats in their hands, hoping for a Rauner rich payout.
In the wake of the disastrous 2012 elections, more Republicans - national ones too - are abandoning ship, abandoning principles in return for cold hard cash. It’s every man for himself as the desperate sell-off - or sell-out - continues.
It’s a deal with the devil and they know it. But, they reason, if the devil is paying you, who cares?
Republican voters might.
Rauner’s firm’s purchase of SecurityLink from SBC Ameritech was one of the first big deals Rahm Emanuel put together after his sudden conversion to investment banker in the 1990s. The SBC deal would not have happened but for Rahm’s insider connections to the Clinton White House.
According to the Chicago Tribune at the time, a Clinton-era regulatory deadline would have forced SBC to divest itself of SecurityLink. Instead, SBC financed all but $100 million of GTCR’s $479 million purchase of the firm. Less than six months later, GTCR, under Rauner’s leadership, resold the company for $1 billion, earning a quick $500 million on its investment.
In a two year stint, Rahm picked up $16.2 million in fees and was made managing director of the investment banking firm Wasserstein Perella. No experience required. Emanuel had never had a job outside of politics before.
Rauner has been a close friend, key advisor, and donor to Emanuel ever since.
But that wasn’t to be Rauner’s first encounter with Democrat pay-to-play politics.
Reports have been surfacing about Rauner’s contributions to Democrat Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. According to Crain’s, Rauner sent Rendell a check for $200,000 in 2001 after meeting with his aides in Chicago. Just before the election Rendell received another $100,000 check.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rauner’s firm was already managing $110 million in pension funds for the State Employee Retirement System in Pennsylvania before the election. After Rendell became governor, the state doubled its stake in GTCR funds to $226 million, earning the firm more than $4 million in fees.
If a candidate’s past speaks volumes about what he would do in office, Rauner’s must have been Blagojevich’s pay-to-play primer.
Campaign finance records also reveal that Rauner and his wife have are longtime major contributors to Democrats and Democrat party committees.
Despite this, Rauner is painting himself as the outsider reformer candidate for governor. He has blanketed social media with a campaign to convince Illinois GOP voters that he is “one of them.”
You like Harley’s? Fishing? Hunting? Then you’ll like my page,” reads one Facebook ad with a photo of Rauner’s grinning mug.
The ad is insulting as it is cynical. It’s the kind of ad you would expect from a close friend of Rahm Emanuel who thinks the GOP is nothing but a bunch of yokels.
In March, Rauner released the names of his board of advisors - among them Citadel’s Ken Griffin, another major donor to Rahm Emanuel.
Griffin and his wife, Anne, contributed more than $200,000 to Emanuel’s mayoral campaign in 2011. Griffin, who calls himself a ‘Reagan Republican,’ also bundled more than $200,000 for Barack Obama in 2008. In the same election year, he donated to John McCain’s presidential campaign.
According to the Chicago Reader, the contributions have bought Ken Griffin regular hour-long private meetings with Mayor Emanuel.
With ‘Republicans’ like this, who needs Democrats?
What does all this reveal about the kind of man Rahm’s friend Bruce Rauner is? That he is a man Illinois GOP voters can trust? That he is a reformer? That he will change the status quo political system?
No, just the opposite.
All of these troubling questions about Rauner & Co. are being quickly dismissed by the GOP political establishment. The smell of potential cash is a powerful corruptor.
The Republican leaders who have already sold their souls to Rahm’s dear friend had better be careful.
I’ve heard the mark-up on corrupted Republican souls is pretty steep.
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