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Republicans Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Rick Snyder in Michigan have done great things in those neighboring states since elected. It's time for Illinois to throw off that old, dusty democratic cloak and see if Rauner can do the same here.
You'll want to give Wisconsin a double look. They are predicting yet another budget deficit (and a pretty sizable one at that) for the next biennium. Wisconsin, like Illinois, still hasn't added more jobs than it had pre recession, and the percentage changes are pretty close to one another. Scott Walker has barely delivered even half the number of jobs he championed on the campaign trail. I was living in Wisconsin when he polarized the state and turned neighbors against neighbors, all under the guise of making the state more fiscally sound, which didn't end up occurring.
Pretty clear that some folks are trying to conflate their loyalty to the party of Quinn / Madigan/ Emanual / Blagojivich or opposition to the previous national adminstriaton to the race for governor -- not only is the irrelavent and off topic, it is patentely illogical. Rauner is simply not aligned to the national GOP.
The fact is that there is a race that does have a "national costal elite" type in it and that is CLEARLY Dick Durbin -- he is the Asst. Senate Majority Leader (also known as Majority Whip) and even served as Minority Whip in prior Senate.
Unfortunately, Durbin is technically a "down stater", having grown up in East St. Louis but he has been an insider of the Democratic Party since graduating from BOTH Georgetown's undergrad School of Foriegn Service and then laying a Law Degree from Georgetown atop that. Sadly despite serving in the House and Senate since 1982 it is inarguable that Durbin has done little to improve the economic aspects of East St. Louis or Illinois in the more than 30 years of elective office...
Last edited by chet everett; 09-23-2014 at 02:08 PM..
You'll want to give Wisconsin a double look. They are predicting yet another budget deficit (and a pretty sizable one at that) for the next biennium. Wisconsin, like Illinois, still hasn't added more jobs than it had pre recession, and the percentage changes are pretty close to one another. Scott Walker has barely delivered even half the number of jobs he championed on the campaign trail. I was living in Wisconsin when he polarized the state and turned neighbors against neighbors, all under the guise of making the state more fiscally sound, which didn't end up occurring.
True, but didn't he slow down the pension benefit increases public employees were getting? Why do we need to continue providing pensions for new hires? The turnip has been bled dry yet nothing has been done to eliminate the number of taxing bodies in this state and nothing has been done to slow down pension liabilities. And why is it the Dems promise all these pension increases yet fail to fully fund the pension funds? It's a bigger lie than "the check is in the mail".
Yeah, except I saw teenagers get turned into goo, because a Republican President sent them into battle with out proper armor.
I saw Marines with my own eyes, who got sick to their stomachs, because Republican sponsored private corporations gave them drinking water that was more filthy than the water found in wells in Iraq.
The Republican party is dying a pathetic slow death. Demographic and economic shifts, have pretty much guaranteed that this party will further slide into irrelevancy. The more it slides, the harder they try to fight.
It is pathetic, really. The best part is, the left will take over politics by simple brute strength in numbers. And opponents will have nothing to do but sit there and take it. It's long over due.
Illinois has a choice. Follow suit and join coastal elites in the future, or stay behind with the corn belt.
I'm no fan of the narrow-minded politics of the conservative Republican's and that their views make me a R.I.N.O; but please leave the coastal liberal's where they are- I want NO part of their politics either!!
People who are informed in political matters, either study the subject at various levels in college, or they live it. I did both. Have you done either?
Would you argue finance with someone who worked on Wall Street, or studied at Wharton?
I don't understand how people who have zero credentials or living experience with these matters try to argue this stuff.
So, "political matters" cover policy and how governments function, as well as economics, social norms, law, business regulations, health, international relations, safety, security, etc. I am guessing you are really smart regarding a piece of this, as well as me, and all the other posters on this board.
Voting involves having a say in what the future of the country will be, I am not interested in only having those people that studied politics deciding the country's future.
True, but didn't he slow down the pension benefit increases public employees were getting? Why do we need to continue providing pensions for new hires? The turnip has been bled dry yet nothing has been done to eliminate the number of taxing bodies in this state and nothing has been done to slow down pension liabilities. And why is it the Dems promise all these pension increases yet fail to fully fund the pension funds? It's a bigger lie than "the check is in the mail".
There is an elaborate fiction being played about between some of the leaders of organized labor and the polticians they support.
The fact is that LAST TIME Quinn was elected he made several 'promises' to the organized labor units that represent state employees that he COMPLETELY broke, still the the 'rank and file' go along and support Quinn.
Further I have heard from several exceedingly reliable and independant sources in the broad pension finance community (which is where Rauner has mostly earned his money...) that when Rauner has met with easily recognized politicians from Chicago that prominately feature the (D) behind their name that he has NOT limited his conversations to their choices in esoteric wine.
It is extremely likely that the real masterminds of Illinois polticis have already laid the ground work so that Rauner, who has stated repeatedly he has no desire to serve any longer than necessary, will gladdly "play the villian" to help political power brokers maintain some influence over pensions instead of letting the whole thing crash and end up in the "who knows what they'll do" hands of a FEDERALLY appointed bankruptcy receiver.
FURTHER it is no secret that Pat Quinn is neither a very effective poltician NOR even a very good 'outsider' as he manages more to the "right place at the wrong time" then really work towards anything. It would NOT be a surprise that a real poltical mastmind would be ONLY TOO HAPPY to setup this putz as a FALL GUY so that somebody that is literally "part of the family" would subsequently get the full support of a their dynasty once everyone well and truly hates Quinn the Incompetent...
Never ever flip a coin with a guy who quickly pulls the ol' leprecan's gold "heads I win. tails you lose" stunt...
Last edited by chet everett; 09-23-2014 at 02:12 PM..
True, but didn't he slow down the pension benefit increases public employees were getting? Why do we need to continue providing pensions for new hires? The turnip has been bled dry yet nothing has been done to eliminate the number of taxing bodies in this state and nothing has been done to slow down pension liabilities. And why is it the Dems promise all these pension increases yet fail to fully fund the pension funds? It's a bigger lie than "the check is in the mail".
I don't disagree with any of these ideas; I simply disagree with the idea of blindly emulating another governor (who may well get elected out of office after his first term) because of soundbites or news headlines that one has heard or read without actually digging in to the facts. If anything, we should learn from Wisconsin that the approach taken there hasn't succeeded either. We have enough of our own problems without recapitulating the rancor that took place in Wisconsin a few years ago. And we definitely shouldn't follow in his and his fellow legislature's footsteps that took a slim budget surplus that arrived after deep budget cuts, then give tax cuts to special interests only to arrive at another budget shortfall. So if Rauner's playbook is going to come from something Walker-esque, I think it will be an utter failure.
This makes some assumptions that are ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maintainschaos
I don't disagree with any of these ideas; I simply disagree with the idea of blindly emulating another governor (who may well get elected out of office after his first term) because of soundbites or news headlines that one has heard or read without actually digging in to the facts. If anything, we should learn from Wisconsin that the approach taken there hasn't succeeded either. We have enough of our own problems without recapitulating the rancor that took place in Wisconsin a few years ago. And we definitely shouldn't follow in his and his fellow legislature's footsteps that took a slim budget surplus that arrived after deep budget cuts, then give tax cuts to special interests only to arrive at another budget shortfall. So if Rauner's playbook is going to come from something Walker-esque, I think it will be an utter failure.
There is really NOTHING similar about Bruce Rauner and Scott Walker. Walker has LONG been part of the "Republicans opposed to government spending". He was born in Colorado, went to Marquette University, worked in MARKETING for IBM and then the Red Cross, is an Evangelic type Christian whose dad was a Baptist Preacher. He has been married to his wife Tonette Marie Tarantino since 1993 and has two sons. He lives in the Governor's Mansion in Madison full-time, he has a modest home in Wauwatosa. Walker has never really been one to have extra cash and even when he has tried to make a show of returning his salary from government the reality of just how little good it did AND how much he needed it has made he essentially beholden to both poltical employment AND donors made him hang onto all but a token 'giveback" of $10k...
In contrast Rauner was born in Chicago, grew up in Deerfield, went to Dartmouth and got an MBA from Harvard. His dad was an attorney and executive for Motorola. Bruce has no real religious affiliation other than "generic WASPy" and has always given BOATLOADS of cash to a wide variety of charities. The literal FORTUNE he has made running essentially "hedge funds for pensions" has enabled him to pick and choose who he supports and he answers to NO "poltical patrons"... He divorced his first wife, Beth Konker in 1990 after being married for a decade and having three kids. His second wife, Diana Mendley, is a physician, supporter of many traditional Democratic causes and his three kids from that marriage.
There is literally NO ONE that thinks either Rauner or Quinn would willingly have a "capital sit in" situation to change the pensions system in this state. Things will very likely be either handled "like gentlemen" with Rauner at the helm or "pinned on the patsy" if Quinn gains re-election///
There is really NOTHING similar about Bruce Rauner and Scott Walker. Walker has LONG been part of the "Republicans opposed to government spending". He was born in Colorado, went to Marquette University, worked in MARKETING for IBM and then the Red Cross, is an Evangelic type Christian whose dad was a Baptist Preacher. He has been married to his wife Tonette Marie Tarantino since 1993 and has two sons. He lives in the Governor's Mansion in Madison full-time, he has a modest home in Wauwatosa. Walker has never really been one to have extra cash and even when he has tried to make a show of returning his salary from government the reality of just how little good it did AND how much he needed it has made he essentially beholden to both poltical employment AND donors made him hang onto all but a token 'giveback" of $10k...
In contrast Rauner was born in Chicago, grew up in Deerfield, went to Dartmouth and got an MBA from Harvard. His dad was an attorney and executive for Motorola. Bruce has no real religious affiliation other than "generic WASPy" and has always given BOATLOADS of cash to a wide variety of charities. The literal FORTUNE he has made running essentially "hedge funds for pensions" has enabled him to pick and choose who he supports and he answers to NO "poltical patrons"... He divorced his first wife, Beth Konker in 1990 after being married for a decade and having three kids. His second wife, Diana Mendley, is a physician, supporter of many traditional Democratic causes and his three kids from that marriage.
There is literally NO ONE that thinks either Rauner or Quinn would willingly have a "capital sit in" situation to change the pensions system in this state. Things will very likely be either handled "like gentlemen" with Rauner at the helm or "pinned on the patsy" if Quinn gains re-election///
Thanks for the biographies, but you didn't actually follow the thread arc from three different posters, so your reply is misplaced...
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This is still the CHICAGO sub-froum...
