By: Mark Glennon*
Pat Quinn is rightfully listed last in that headline. He is, and always was, a buffoon.
Rauner dropped the attacks on public unions after the primary, but that was unilateral disarmament. They disgraced themselves with a filthy campaign.
It’s not as simple as liberal bias respecting the press, though that’s been overt in some cases. Incompetence and simple, old-fashioned muckraking were the larger problems, and they permeated coverage of Rauner from the start.
Rauner also had to defeat a somewhat different Rauner who emerged after the primary. He promised too much to too many, and Illinois saw through that, which damaged his credibility and will make his task more difficult.
The challenges ahead are extraordinary and remain far more critical than commonly understood. They will be much harder to solve than was winning this election.
*Mark Glennon is founder of WirePoints
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.