New Rauner Ad Misleads Public About His Opposition to New School Funding Bill
Campaign Cannot Find Good Quote About Rauner, So Uses One Praising Dem. State Senator Instead
Today, Governor Bruce Rauner launched a new TV ad praising passage of the state’s new education funding formula, a bill he actively opposed. After months of bashing the bill, Rauner rejected calls for negotiating a compromise and demanded it be sent to his desk for change. Rauner’s amendatory veto was so extreme that Republicans and local education leaders would not support it. Kristen McQueary, conservative editorial writer for the Chicago Tribune, said Rauner had “botched this one.”
Even on the eve of the bill’s eventual passage, Rauner was still bashing the legislation.
How disingenuous is Rauner being by running an ad on a bill he opposed? His ad makers could not even find a quote about Rauner to use. Instead, the ad says the bill was “nothing short of a miracle.” Well, that quote was really about Democratic State Senator Andy Manar’s efforts to pass the legislation:
“‘He basically picked a fight that no one else wanted to touch. The fact that he got it done in this political environment is nothing short of a miracle,’ says Amy Ballinger-Cole, former director of government relations for Advance Illinois (a nonpartisan education advocacy group that worked closely with Manar). The fight Manar picked wasn’t new.”
Thanks Senator Manar!
“Apparently Bruce Rauner has decided to run his reelection campaign in an alternate universe,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “For months, Rauner opposed Illinois’ new historic education bill and used the bill to sow divisions within the state. Then, Rauner pushed the state into crisis by vetoing the legislation, threatening schools with closure all for political gain. Now, Rauner is misleading the public to distract from his record of failed leadership.”
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Background:
August 2017: Rauner “Followed Through on His Promise to Veto a School Funding Bill.” According to the Chicago Tribune, “Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday followed through on his promise to veto a school funding bill, taking aim at hundreds of millions of dollars in help for cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools.” [Chicago Tribune, 8/2/17]
Conservative Columnist: “Rauner Botched This One.” According to conservative columnist Kristen McQueary, “When Illinois legislators return to Springfield to address school funding reform, they should override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of the bill or pass a new version with a veto-proof majority. In summary: Rauner botched this one. The governor has not made, and cannot seem to make, a compelling case for the breadth and scope of his changes to a bill that represented a decade of research on a broken school funding formula. Instead he has delivered only mixed messages and tumult.” [Chicago Tribune, McQueary Column, 8/10/17]
Daily Herald Headline: “Rauner Now Criticizes Leaders’ School Funding Reform Deal.” [Daily Herald,8/25/17]
Daily Herald: School Funding Bill Worked Out by Democratic and Republican Legislative Leaders. According to the Daily Herald, “Gov. Bruce Rauner used an appearance before the Marion Chamber of Commerce Friday to say the tentative school funding bill worked out by the Democratic and Republican leaders still gives too much money to Chicago schools, and that he’ll likely address that in future bills. Only a day before, Rauner’s office issued a statement thanking the legislators for their leadership and saying he ‘looks forward to the coming days when the legislation is passed by both chambers.’” [Daily Herald, 8/25/17]
Chicago Tribune: “Rauner Got Almost None of What He Had Hope to Get Out of a School Funding Deal.” According to the Chicago Tribune, “The victory, however, came at a steep political cost: Rauner got almost none of what he had hoped to get out of a school funding deal.” [Chicago Tribune, 8/30/17]
Rauner’s Support of School Funding Bill Came After He Used Amendatory Veto on Similar Legislation. According to the Chicago Tribune, “The governor’s support comes after he used his amendatory veto powers to rewrite portions of a similar proposal legislators approved in May. He contended that bill contained too much money for Chicago Public Schools. However, the agreement he is now backing would provide even more money for CPS. Rauner chalked it up to ‘compromise.’ He dismissed questions about whether he backed the bill to avoid another embarrassing override, after some Republicans last month joined Democrats to reject his veto on a budget plan and tax hike.” [Chicago Tribune, 8/31/17]