The editors of the Chicago Sun-Times, in reference to the television spot I linked to yesterday, say this:
First, they suggest that Illinois’ problems can be chalked up to the Legislature’s refusal to politely sign off on Rauner’s supposedly pro-business, but certainly anti-union, agenda. In reality, much of what ails our state is a result of the political and governmental paralysis — for which Rauner and Madigan must share blame — that set in immediately after Rauner was elected more than two-and-a-half years ago.
Illinois, already hurting, quickly became a fiscal basket case, racking up more than $16 billion in unpaid bills, along with growing debt and pension obligations.
Second, the three governors overlook that Rauner, unlike themselves, must work with a Democratic Legislature. It’s a trickier business to govern effectively when you must bridge party differences. But plenty of Illinois governors, Democrats and Republicans, have found a way. Rauner has not.
I think the editors are the ones who don’t get it. It’s not an ad for Rauner. It’s an ad against the Illinois state legislature in general and Mike Madigan in particular. The message is that the only way for Illinois’s economy to grow is to elect enough Republican state legislators to force a leadership change.
I’m not sure of the merits or practicality of the argument but I think that’s the obvious message.
