Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Tuesday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

“Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner and lieutenant governor candidate Evelyn Sanguinetti filed 10,000 signatures with their nominating petitions,” his campaign announced Monday.
That’s 1,111 PHO – per homes owned.
Or .00000018867925 PDE = per dollars earned.


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From the Trib:

“Bruce has never let his success change him,” declares the campaign’s official bio. “He still drives a 20-year-old camper van, wears an $18 watch, and stays in the cheapest hotel room he can find when he’s on the road.”

That is, when he’s in a state where he doesn’t own a penthouse, a luxury high-rise, a waterfront villa, a ski resort condo or a ranch.
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There’s actually nothing wrong with being super wealthy – depending on how you got that way. It’s usually not by helping others. Moral judgements about how one spends money is fair game too. For example, trying to buy a governorship in one’s first run for public office.
“On Monday, Rauner’s campaign reported he gave his campaign $500,000 on Nov. 18, an additional $500,000 contribution a week earlier and a $249,000 donation in March – nearly $1.3 million so far from a candidate who has said he is willing to spend what it takes to win,” the Tribune reports.
I’d rather he buy a more expensive watch.
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“Asked to name [on his Statement of Economic Interest] any company doing business in the state in which his ownership interest is more than $5,000 or from which he received a dividend of more than $1,200 last year, Rauner presented a three-page list.”
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Rauner says he “can’t be bought” by special interests. That’s because he’s bought them!
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Rauner – and his money – deserve scrutiny and these particular stories are fine pieces of reporting, but frankly the media is a bit obsessed with him; they’re disproportionately covering the guy with the most money instead of the guy leading the polls.
“State Sen. Bill Brady continues to maintain his lead over the rest of the pack, according to the poll of 1,191 likely GOP voters,” Rich Miller reports.
“Brady scored 25 percent, to Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s 18 percent and state Sen. Kirk Dillard’s 14 percent.”
Rauner is mired in last place with 11 percent – despite spending prodigious amounts of money already.
That’s right – the dominant media figure in the Republican primary is not only in last place, he’s been there from day one.
And he’s already spent more money than I imagine – and someone correct me if I’m wrong – the rest of the candidates will spend on their whole campaigns.
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The Beachwood Bookmaking Bureau, which has a far better track record than anyone else in the city, state and nation, has placed Rauner last from the get-go; he only recently attained a double-digit chance of winning the primary in our estimation, and that’s because of his opponents’ stumbles, not anything he did.
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Seemingly related:
“A new report finds 53% of financial services executives say that adhering to ethical standards inhibits career progression at their firm. A former Wall Street trader describes why.”
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And:


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We Are Illinois
Yes, we still have loyalty oaths – note the item after Statement of Candidacy.


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Download one for yourself!
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The oath is “optional” – just like saying the Pledge of Allegiance in class and standing for the national anthem at a ballgame and conceding to a prayer before a public meeting.
Or wearing a pin – flag or otherwise.
Popular Recipe
“Charlie Trotter was Chicago’s first celebrity chef, a prodigiously talented cook and gregarious personality who almost single-handedly raised Chicago’s dining reputation from a steak-and-potatoes town to a serious restaurant city,” Phil Vettel writes for the Tribune.
Er, I mean Jean Banchet.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Swear on us.

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Posted on November 26, 2013