Bruce Rauner's Cash Bar and the End of Citizen Campaign Participation

Nothing confirmed the wisdom of our decision to forgo voting in yesterday's Illinois primary election better than Bruce Rauner's election night cash bar.

Come Celebrate with Bruce Rauner
-- only Ten Bucks a pop!

The Winnetka billionaire speculator held his election watching party at the downtown Chicago Hilton and Towers.

There, Rauner's friends and campaign hangers-on were shaken down to the tune of $10 for a drink or $8 for a cheap domestic beer.

This really signals the end of citizen participation in the election process -- at least on the GOP side -- here in Chicago.

Time was when campaigns would actually need real live voters and activists -- political junkies, if you will, -- to do the grunt work needed to win an election.

They needed people to man volunteer phone banks, to go door-to-door, to get up at 5am on election day and put campaign signs in front of the polling places.

Not so much, anymore.

Today, a billionaire with no discernible Republican pedigree, like Rauner, can simply waltz in, shell out a few mil for incessant media buys and walk away with the Gubernatorial nomination of the decrepit Illinois Republican party.

Beach Buddies Rauner and Rahm

No need to get the great unwashed involved in the process. If there should be some need for a physical entity to perform some actual campaign task, there is plenty of temporary casual labor that can be put on the payroll.

And since they're paid lackeys, there's no need for the candidate to show appreciation.

"They're getting paid. They can buy their own damned drinks."

Oh, and by the way. Should Rauner -- or any other candidate -- want a yard sign up on my lawn this fall -- the lawn rental fee is $10 per day for front and center placement -- or $8 per diem for sign placement on my side lot. It's a good deal!!

So How Many Jewish Votes Will Rauner Bring To the GOP?

Good Buddies Bruce  and Rahm

Billionaire speculator, Bruce Rauner is running for Governor. In return for high dollar contributions, he received a big award from the American Jewish Committee for "protecting Jewish populations in danger."

He takes vacations with  Rahm Emanuel -- Barack Obama's Democrat former chief of staff and now the first ever Jewish Mayor of Chicago.

Along with his Jewish-American wife, he is a major donor to the pro-amnesty, pro-open borders Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

Bruce Rauner, the professed Republican, a few years back, was a financial backer in a $479 million deal brokered by his beach side buddy, Rahm Emanuel and another big Democrat honcho, Bill Daley -- the former Chicago Democratic Mayor's brother.

But now comes Rauner in to save the tawdry Illinois Republicans.

Well I'm so happy to hear in today's Tribune that the billionaire speculator, Bruce Rauner, has decided to pour a cool half million samoleons into his Republican campaign.

With his high profile in the Chicago Jewish community, you'd think Rauner would be a shoe-in to bring in big Jewish vote totals.

Now during the last Presidential campaign, 69% of American Jews voted for Barack Obama, a marginal improvement over the 78% they gave Obama the first time around, but still a vote of landslide proportions.

You could say, that Jews put Barack Obama over the top.

In fact Jews have been such a predictably reliable liberal Democrat voter cohort, that one of President Reagan's speechwriters was prompted to quip, "Jews are the only group with the income of Episcopalians and the voting behavior of Puerto Ricans."

But johnny-come-lately Republican, Bruce Rauner, with his personal millions is going to change all that.

He's going to bring Jewish voters over to the Republican column in droves.

Just as Governor Ron Gidwitz did.