Can Rauner, whose controversial pitch to eliminate the minimum wage nearly derailed his campaign, reconcile his conservative economic views with the needs of Illinoisians less fortunate? Ideologically, is he able to transcend his own experiences and step inside the shoes of the 99 percent? Will he empathize with public employees and honor pension guarantees? Will he still court African-American voters desperate for reform, resources and the betterment of their communities—or put his blinders back on to move policies that benefit the wealthy, the white and the one percent? As former managing partner of the Chicago private equity firm GTCR, Rauner participated in business decisions that led to negative headlines including NBC 5s recent report outlining allegations of intimidation by a female executive with whom he worked. Defending GTCRs lack of diversity, Rauner has claimed—ridiculously—that he hired no African-American employees because he could not find any qualified candidates. He called himself a Libertarian in a revealing 2011 interview with Bloomberg News, saying: I believe in limited government, low taxes, personal freedom and personal responsibility. Superficially, Rauner has the appearance of the kind of entitled, righteous person who rarely hears the word no and wont take it for answer; who mutters something about personal responsibility while walking past a homeless man on the street; who perhaps, like Paul Ryan, privately believes that poor Americans caught up in the vicious cycle of poverty are somehow responsible for their lot in life. For all Quinns faults (and there were many), his greatest gift was relatability. An Hes one of us authenticity. But in the end, the economy prevailed. People want better jobs. A bright, stable future. Drastic change. Time will tell whether Rauner will reward his peers—or spread the wealth.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 20:40:58 +0000
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