The odd, bizarre candidacy of Bruce Rauner
Bruce Rauner could be the strangest Illinois gubernatorial candidate I've observed in this, the 15th Illinois gubernatorial election I've followed. Near billionaire Rauner affects an $18 watch while forking over a cool hundred grand for a fourth parking spot at his luxury downtown penthouse. Fabulous public school New Trier wasn't good enough for his daughter who didn't qualify for a more prestigious magnet school, so Rauner places a call to an educational big shot and voila, daughter of Bruce bumps Miss Nomoney for a coveted spot. A year later six figures of Rauner wealth is attracted to the magnet school door.
But becoming a member of the exclusive one hundredth of one percent wealth club wasn't good enough for Rauner. Hundreds of millions may not buy happiness, but they might be able to buy the governorship. He spent millions to barely edge his main GOP rival in the Primary. Now he's parlaying his fabulous insider wealth for a chance to practice 'his way or the highway' on the 13,000,000 of us who will become guinea pigs for his heartless version of fiscal austerity. How heartless? Rauner was against the recent Illinois Medicaid expansion under Obamacare even though it offers health and life saving benefits to hundreds of thousands. Rauner favored lowering the Illinois minimum wage back to the unconscionable federal level. Rauner disparages teacher union bosses (his term) which is nothing but class warfare against those who give more back to society than Rauner could ever imagine. How about massive layoffs and even possibly shutting down the state government? That is not hyperbole. Here is Rauner at a recent GOP county gathering:
"We may have to go through rough times. We may have to do what Ronald Reagan did with the air traffic controllers. Sort of have to do a do-over and shut things down for a little while. That's what we're gonna do."
If peoples' needs don't involve the ever glorious dollar, Rauner is clueless and heartless. To placate the homophobes who virtually all reside in his party, he refused to support or even acknowledge the need for Illinois' half million gays for first class citizenship. He thinks giving folks full citizenship should be put to a referendum. He'd have made a great Southern governor during the civil rights era.
Calling gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner strange is kind. He's dangerous.
But becoming a member of the exclusive one hundredth of one percent wealth club wasn't good enough for Rauner. Hundreds of millions may not buy happiness, but they might be able to buy the governorship. He spent millions to barely edge his main GOP rival in the Primary. Now he's parlaying his fabulous insider wealth for a chance to practice 'his way or the highway' on the 13,000,000 of us who will become guinea pigs for his heartless version of fiscal austerity. How heartless? Rauner was against the recent Illinois Medicaid expansion under Obamacare even though it offers health and life saving benefits to hundreds of thousands. Rauner favored lowering the Illinois minimum wage back to the unconscionable federal level. Rauner disparages teacher union bosses (his term) which is nothing but class warfare against those who give more back to society than Rauner could ever imagine. How about massive layoffs and even possibly shutting down the state government? That is not hyperbole. Here is Rauner at a recent GOP county gathering:
"We may have to go through rough times. We may have to do what Ronald Reagan did with the air traffic controllers. Sort of have to do a do-over and shut things down for a little while. That's what we're gonna do."
If peoples' needs don't involve the ever glorious dollar, Rauner is clueless and heartless. To placate the homophobes who virtually all reside in his party, he refused to support or even acknowledge the need for Illinois' half million gays for first class citizenship. He thinks giving folks full citizenship should be put to a referendum. He'd have made a great Southern governor during the civil rights era.
Calling gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner strange is kind. He's dangerous.
posted by Walt Zlotow at 5:41 AM
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