-By Warner Todd Huston
The good folks at Illinois Review recently reported that a large donation to Liberty Principles PAC–a group helmed by WLS talk show host Dan Proft–caused rumors to circulate that claimed that the $1.5 million donation was in response recent anti-Rauner ads being funded by a pro-union group and headed up by a one of GOP Congressman Arron Schock’s associates. Tonight, Proft is responding to the rumors.
Proft told IR that the donation by Dick Uihlein is earmarked only for state legislative races, not federal races, not the Governor’s office or other top spots. So, the donation is not intended to help get Rauner elected through efforts by Proft’s PAC.
As Proft told IR: “The investment represents Mr. Uihlein’s ongoing commitment to the economic liberty policy agenda and to Illinois state legislative candidates who share that commitment. Mr. Uihlein’s financial commitment is shared by a growing number of Liberty Principles PAC donors who understand the need for new political leadership in Springfield in order for Illinois to attract and retain businesses and grow jobs.”
Recently Rauner launched a new series of ads really slamming the unions that have destroyed this state’s economy and led to the pension meltdown prompting a broadside against him by those very left-wing, economy destroying unions.
But, Rauner has been having other problems of late. His wild flip flop on the minimum wage is quite an embarrassment.
Late last year Rauner made the statement during a debate that the state should cut the minimum wage despite that the leading conversation seems to be about hiking the minimum wage, not cutting it.
But it wasn’t long before Rauner announced that his idea to cut the pay scale was a “mistake” and saying he was just being “flippant.”
The flip flop has had Rauner’s GOP opponents to imagine that this is their first shot at dethroning Rauner as the GOP frontrunner.
Senator Bill Brady said that this incident is very revealing. “I think we’re starting to see what Bruce Rauner’s about and people don’t like what they’re hearing.”
For his part, state Senator Kirk Dillard said, “He’s unelectable in the fall as our nominee and he could take much of the republican party down with him.”
Finally, State Treasurer Dan Rutherford noted that he hasn’t been heard flip flopping like Rauner. “They got a tape of him saying one thing, one place and a tape of him at another place saying something different. I don’t do that.”
This is the very first time that Rauner has seemed at all vulnerable in this race thus far. Still, Rauner has sucked up all the oxygen in the GOP race so far.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, MrConservative.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, Wizbang.com, among many, many others. Huston has also appeared on Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, and many local TV shows as well as numerous talk radio shows throughout the country.
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