Opinion: Dillard Turns Illinois Governor's Race Into High School Confidential

Republican says Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying to help his friend Bruce Rauner

Via Rich Miller, the Sun-Times is reporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard thinks fellow Republican candidate Bruce Rauner, Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel are all in cahoots to, well, I’m not really sure -- throw an election or something:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying to help his friend Bruce Rauner win the crowded Republican primary for governor by endorsing incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard charged Thursday.

Dillard offered that Machiavellian theory, one day after Emanuel endorsed Quinn for re-election, in spite of his rocky relationship with the governor and his close friendship with Rauner, the millionaire venture capitalist challenging Dillard for the GOP nomination.

“Rahm is very smart. He knows he helps Rauner in a Republican primary by strongly endorsing Quinn,” Dillard said Thursday.

Dillard, who some political observers see as needing to break out of a crowded Republican field, appears to have little to go on for his charge than mere speculation:

[Dillard] said, “I suspect he’s really rooting for Bruce Rauner. . . . Bruce Rauner is the man who made Rahm Emanuel rich right after he left the Clinton administration. Chicago Magazine just had a story with pictures of the two vacationing together. He’s a member of Rahm Emanuel’s inner circle. . . . That cozy relationship is problematic governmentally. It’s too close for comfort.”

Dillard has gone after the Rauner/Rahm tandem before, most recently while speaking Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass on Wednesday. Before that, it was to WLS reporter Bill Cameron on October 11 when talking about convicted political insider Stuart Levine. And before that in August during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair. And probably a few more times as well.

In fact, the relationship between Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Rauner seems to be taking form as one of Dillard’s top campaign messages, crowding out such topics as pension reform, the economy or much of anything else.

They always say in politics that if you’re talking too much about your opponents, it’s because you don't have enough to say about yourself.

And, as they might say in high school: “Did you hear what Rahm did with Pat? Ooooh, I’ll bet you Bruce is really gonna be mad about that.”

Or is it the other way around?
 

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