Ives vs. Rauner: It's on.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner would love to spend these gray winter days focused on his November re-election bid against a Democrat opponent, but he can’t. First, he’s got to win the Republican primary on March 20, in which he will face off against former ally state Rep. Jeanne Ives of Wheaton.
On Monday, Rauner and Ives made a joint appearance before the Tribune Editorial Board at which they sparred over who has the better strategy for addressing Illinois’ political dysfunction and creating jobs. This is their only scheduled debate; you can view it at chicagotribune.com/gopgov.
Turns out Rauner hasn’t been able to bend House Speaker Michael Madigan and the Democratic-run General Assembly to his will. The governor’s “turnaround agenda” stalled. Residents are fleeing high-tax Illinois. Employers are bailing, too, or choosing instead to invest in other states. We’ve begun to think about this election in dire terms. The Land of Lincoln has a festering pension crisis and a reputation as a loser. Job growth is weak. A lot of voters think Illinois must change or die.
Ives, a social conservative, edged into the race after Rauner signed legislation expanding taxpayer-subsidized abortion for women covered by Medicaid or state employee health insurance. But now that she’s in, she’s running hard as a critic of the governor’s economic policy chops and his relentless public feuding with Madigan. One of Illinois’ problems is that Madigan actively blocks the governor’s job growth efforts.
Before the primary, we will endorse a Republican and a Democratic candidate for governor. Today we reach only the conclusion that Ives, now in her third term in the Illinois House, makes a persuasive case as an alternative to Rauner. Especially on the question of who might work with, or work around, Madigan and colleagues, Ives presented herself as a Republican legislator who knows how to work with Democrats in Springfield.
We said at the top of this editorial that the governor is eager to run against a Democrat, not another Republican. He made clear Monday he thinks his greatest adversary is Madigan, whom the governor attacked for being a property tax attorney in a state where many property owners challenge their assessments. “We need to focus on Speaker Madigan and his corruption,” Rauner told us. He then connected dots from Madigan to J.B. Pritzker, one of the Democrats running for governor. “Pritzker is Madigan’s handpicked candidate for governor. He’s in effect Madigan’s bagman for funding that whole corrupt culture.”
One comment about such incendiary talk: We don’t see how it convinces employers such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who values a stable culture of governance, to invest money and hire in Illinois.
Rauner wishes Madigan would just disappear. Rauner’s second wish is that the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Illinois’ favor in two cases that could weaken the role of unions and thus make the state appear more friendly and flexible to employers. Indeed that’s possible, but it’s bad policy to bet the farm on the deliberation of judges. Yet Rauner, as if he were quoting James Earl Jones in “Field of Dreams,” sounds convinced of his own good luck.
“You watch us boom” after the court victories, Rauner promised. “Even if Madigan is still in power, which I hope he’s not after November, we will get changes through the courts that will allow us to compete. And the companies will come from Indiana. They’ll come from Wisconsin and Texas and Tennessee. We will be a rapid growth state.” (Remember that fantasy sequence from “Field of Dreams”? “People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom.”)
As a challenger rising from Springfield’s backbenches, Ives has a debating advantage because she can make fresh promises uncompromised by past performance or daunting realities. But she made a good point about having a track record of working across the aisle. She made another good point about targeting smaller victories to prove to employers and investors that Illinois can be more business-friendly. Her example: Address pension reform by shifting new state employees to 401(k)-style retirement plans. “It would have sent a strong signal to the bond market, to the business community, and to residents that we’re finally serious about doing something about not digging the hole deeper,” she said.
Monday’s conversation was one moment in the campaign. The candidates have more time to differentiate themselves. Another debate or two would help. Bruce Rauner, with a strong polling and millions in his coffers, showed no interest. But he should capitalize on the chance to sell Republicans on himself. Because in Jeanne Ives they’ve got a legitimate alternative.
No comments:
Post a Comment