There were lots and of losers during the state legislative session which ended last month. But there were a few winners, so let’s take a look at them. First up, Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner. Never before has a political party nominated a gubernatorial candidate who’s had more impact on a legislative session than Rauner […]
Bruce Rauner
Posted inOpinion
The state of the new state budget
On the bright side, I suppose you could argue that last week’s budget passed by the General Assembly will lead to the largest tax cut in Illinois history come January, when the 2011 income tax increase partially expires on schedule. But that’s about the only bright side. And, really, pretty much nobody expects that some […]
Posted inOpinion
Poll numbers on Madigan
A poll taken for Rasmussen Reports earlier this month found that Gov. Pat Quinn’s unfavorable rating was 55 percent. That’s pretty darned bad, and perhaps the worst in the nation. But Gov. Quinn ain’t got nothing on Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. A new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll found Madigan’s unfavorable rating to be an […]
Posted inOpinion
Shaking up Springfield
Illinois Governor Daniel Walker shakes hands at the Bud Billiken Parade, Chicago, 1973. PHOTO BY JOHN H. WHITE “To those who have grown rich on the public dollar, to those who have won secret grants and contracts, to those in government who put themselves first and the taxpayers second – to you I bring my […]
Posted inOpinion
Minimum wage woes on campaign trail
If Bruce Rauner manages to successfully back away from his recently unearthed statement from December that he favored reducing the state’s minimum wage by a dollar an hour he will have dodged a very serious political bullet. According to a new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll, the idea is absolutely hated in Illinois. Asked if […]
Posted inOpinion
Plays for governor
By now, it should be self evident that Bruce Rauner has locked up pretty much all the big money in the Republican primary race for governor. Last week’s pension reform vote provides even more evidence. Rauner has built an impenetrable fortress of high-dollar campaign contributors. Ron Gidwitz, long known in GOP circles for being the […]
Posted inOpinion
Unions mull endorsement options
Illinois union leaders are reportedly mulling several options about what to do in the governor’s race. But the only thing the leaders appear to agree on so far is that anti-union Republican gazillionaire Bruce Rauner cannot be allowed to win. Some union honchos are looking at endorsing a candidate in the Republican primary. State Sen. […]
Posted inOpinion
Recent numbers on governor’s race
Back in mid-August, near the end of his summertime TV advertising blitz, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner scored 14 percent in a Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of likely GOP primary voters. That was up a tick from the 12 percent he got in a June 20 poll by the same firm. His campaign has […]
Posted inOpinion
The passage of the Illinois gay marriage bill
Perhaps the biggest loser in last Tuesday’s historic passage of a gay marriage bill in Springfield was the National Organization for Marriage. The group, based in Washington, D.C., has been at the forefront of attempts to stop gay marriage in states throughout the country. A Maine investigation uncovered alleged internal NOM documents about the group’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Money matters
Let’s take a quick look at the campaign finance disclosure reports filed last week by some of the statewide candidates, shall we? • Bill Brady – It goes without saying that the mere $66,104 Brady reported raising during the third quarter was beyond pathetic. But here’s how bad the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s performance really was: […]
Posted inOpinion
Rauner’s race for governor
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner has focused like a laser on his absolute disgust with public employee unions like AFSCME, the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. The wealthy former business executive claims the unions are the root of most of Illinois’ problems and has decried the “corrupting” influence of their campaign […]
Posted inOpinion
Democratic ties plunge GOP governor contenders in polls
I had heard that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner’s longtime personal and business connections to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were “killer” issues among GOP primary voters, so I decided to commission a poll. The question I settled on is pretty mild in comparison to what could be used in a TV ad, so the response […]
