Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner Called Out By HuffPo For ‘Destroying Middle Class,’ But It Backfires

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, the new Republican in charge, was recently targeted by Huffington Post for “destroying the middle class” in a column by Robert Creamer.

Creamer levels some pretty hefty accusations at Rauner, noting that he, at one time, owned a company that was sold to a company that ended up going bankrupt.

Throughout the piece, he stretches to blame the state’s ample problems on the governor who hasn’t even been in office for a year.

Here’s a sampling.

“For those who are unfamiliar with Rauner, all you need to know is summed up in one brief story. Early in the GOP primary, Rauner made it clear that he wanted to reduce Illinois’ minimum wage — and at one point even indicated he wanted it abolished entirely. Yet last year Rauner himself made more than $25,000 per hour — fifty-two million dollars per year. That’s right, he made more than an average minimum wage worker makes all year long in less than the first hour of the first day of the year.

“Now, by the way, in the face of the overwhelming passage of a referendum calling for an increase in the state minimum wage, Rauner has grudgingly agreed to support an increase — of twenty-five cents per hour per year over seven years. That’s barely more than the rate of inflation.”

Throughout Creamer’s screed, he fails to mention or conveniently overlooks one key point, and it’s a pretty big one.

Illinois is a prime example of what happens under absolute Democratic authority. Some of the left-leaning news site’s own commenters were quick to call him on it.

“Ummm, I’m pretty sure Illinois has been controlled by Democratic majorities for decades. Look inward son,” writes one. Here’s another comment.

“Illinois has the highest unfunded pension liability and worst credit score in the nation. All this happened under the watch of Democratic majorities in both houses, the very same Democratic majorities who were elected with help of public employee union campaign contributions. Let us not forget 85 years of Democratic mayors in Chicago. Go ahead and stick with the status quo though…. THIS is what an unsustainable Democratic Utopia looks like.”

In other words, Illinois’ middle class has been suffering a long time. Gun violence in its largest city has been rampant for some time in spite of having the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation. Economically and sociologically, Bruce Rauner was able to call out decades of failure. That’s how he got elected. But not to Creamer. To him, this is how it happened.

“Last fall, Illinois GOP candidate Bruce Rauner spent $63.9 million — $27.3 million of his own money — to buy the right to occupy the Illinois Governor’s mansion.”

I’m all for criticizing Republicans as well as Democrats, but let’s not be disingenuous here, Creamer. Democrats had their chance with the state of Illinois, and they don’t have the best track record as seen in the facts highlighted by some of your own commenters.

Bruce Rauner may not turn out to be a great governor, but it’s cherry-picking to come down on him when politicians of your own ideology had majorities in the legislature and the executive branch and turned out a state with the kind of problems found in Illinois.