Rauner's sixth million edges out pauper Dillard

To paraphrase novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The very rich are different from you and me...they can buy elections". Billionaire Bruce Rauner proved that last night when the sixth million of his personal wealth spent on his GOP gubernatorial campaign edged cash strapped State Senator Kirk Dillard by just two percentage points. While the margin was co...mfortable, its a far cry from the twenty percentage point lead that Rauner's first few million generated before the GOP electorate woke up to the way Rauner has gamed the system from his fabulous wealth to benefit Billionaire Bruce himself. Rauner, who wears an $18 watch but has more mansions than Snow White has Dwarfs, doesn't suffer folks of ordinary means easily. Take his daughter's educational career. Back in 2008 a politically unknown Rauner wanted to get his daughter in the prestigious Walter Payton College Preparatory School even though she already lived in the prestigious New Trier School District. When you're a billionaire even New Trier is not good enough for your kid. There was one problem. Daughter of Bruce didn't have the attendance qualification to go along with the top grades and test scores, so she was disqualified. What to do? The politically as well as financially connected Rauner called Chicago School System CEO Arnie Duncan and voila, Ms. Rauner bumped some deserving student who didn't have the wealth or clout of Billionaire Bruce. Eighteen months later Rauner dropped a cool $250,000 donation on Walter Payton Prep. I'd like to hear Rauner try to explain his outsider status and white knight political image to one of the 6,617 families of a more deserving student trumped by a daughter of fabulous wealth and privilege.

This incident is telling. Rauner is completely out of touch with everyday folks struggling to make ends meet instead of gaming the system for family glory. Rauner totally avoided social issues during the campaign saying they distract from righting Illinois' financial problems. He wouldn't even commit to opposing a legislative initiative to overturn Illinois' gay marriage law. He's in favor of reinstating the death penalty. In Rauner's worldview, financial reform does not mean raising minimum starvation wages; it means cutting those hard workers further into poverty. Financial reform is promising more tax breaks for the wealthy which he claims will rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, raise up education and create a wealth of new jobs. If voters believe that then they also believe Rauner doesn't chuck that $18 watch he wares on the campaign trail to strap on his Rolex when hobnobbing with the rich and famous