As of this moment I’m looking at Bruce Rauner’s candidacy for governor of Illinois favorably. I think that Pat Quinn is a decent bloke who is the wrong man in the wrong job at the wrong time. Illinois has some hard choices to make going forward and I don’t think that Gov. Quinn is up to them.
There is no candidate so terrible including incumbent Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin it could impel me to vote for Jim Oberweis for Senate.
Don’t worry, Oberweis cannot actually be running to win, it has something to do with selling milk. See W. Lee O’Daniel, or Pappy O’Daniel from the film “O Brother Where Art Though.”
As to Rauner, I suspect we’ll see one way or another why career politicians have the best careers as politicians.
I’ve got concerns with Rauner – and with Quinn. I’m inherently afraid that someone without political experience – particularly as a Republican in Illinois – will find that things that look simple on paper will be impossible in practice given our calcified corruption.
I agree that Quinn may be the wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time, I’m just not convinced Rauner is the right man or in the right place.
Tim, I think that possible Democratic competitors for Quinn have decided that Illinois’s problems are intractable and they’d rather he get the blame than take it themselves.
If Illinois raises taxes or increases its state minimum wage relative to the adjacent states, it’s likely to exacerbate Illinois’s problems rather than solve them. Additionally, Illinois has yet to confront its public employee pension problems. The bill enacted into law is barely a downpayment on solving the problem. It’s more of an attempt at proving that they’re doing something without actually resolving it (and taking the blame).
I don’t know if you watch THE GOOD WIFE (one of the best-written shows on TV) but a subplot involves a determined prosecutor out to turn a lawyer against the newly-elected governor of Illinois. The lawyers asks the prosecutor how he’s so sure the governor is corrupt. The answer is, “Because he’s the governor of Illinois.”
Isn’t “decent bloke” a huge step up for Illinois?
Only when your problems are small. When problems grow into big ones, having the strength of character to do what needs to be done becomes pretty important.
“Only when your problems are small. When problems grow into big ones, having the strength of character to do what needs to be done becomes pretty important.”
And when your problems are financial. I had to learn at places like this that those void of financial acumen and experience can adopt some of the silliest points of view, as well intentioned as they might be.
“Only when your problems are small. When problems grow into big ones, having the strength of character to do what needs to be done becomes pretty important.â€
That statement reminds me of the op-ed piece recently written by Romney in the WSJ —> The Price of Failed Leadership.
One of his comments was particularly poignant, particularly in light of all our foreign policy missteps and mishaps the past 5 years:
Lest michael get the wrong impression, the Governor is probably being investigated by the feds for an anti-violence program in which he distributed millions to African-American alderman and their friends before his re-election without standards or oversight and with the promise of more to come after the election. I think by “decent bloke,” Dave means inept, not corrupt.
Decent bloke. Are you predicting he will start a new trend for Illinois governors and not go to jail?
Steve